Professor Layton and the Venrin Band
by EmeraldWings1992
Summary: Luke is missing. Danny Phantom is acting strangely. Danny Fenton doesn't remember his time as Danny Phantom. An ancient race is discovered, becoming the center of the whole mystery. When the Professor, Flora, Alfendi, and Pearl Fey turn up in Amity Park searching for their friend, will they also be able to help Team Phantom get to the bottom of this mystery? DONE
1. The Beginning

**A/N:** Hey guys! Okay, explanation time. I was supposed to write Phantom Investigation next, buuuuut… during the outlining process, I had a LOT of trouble.

The thing is… I REALLY want to write Professor Layton fanfiction. And this one has been bouncing around in my head since February.

It was originally going to be an Ace Attorney/Professor Layton/Danny Phantom crossover, but there was just WAY too much going on, so it's now a Professor Layton/Danny Phantom crossover. Plus, it wouldn't work with my other story, "The Golden Turnabout," since this is happening DURING that fanfiction. There is the slightest AA elements in the fact that the first part of this chapter is in Kurain Village, and Pearl is a large part of this tale (since Luke and Pearl have been dating for three years now).

You don't have to go read that one, don't worry.

It would be a good idea to read "The Professor's Apprentice" before this one, due to a few characters and some information, but not necessary. If you have any questions, just ask!

Information time: Luke is 23 and freshly graduated college.

Pearl is 21.

Alfendi is 14 (I didn't take this into account when I wrote "The Last Semester").

Flora is 24 and graduated from Gressensheller with a BA in Creative Writing (she also acts as the Professor's assistant).

Danny, Sam, and Tucker are 19 and graduated from Casper High (Tucker is no longer Mayor).

Eric and Loudon Shiner are my OCs.

Okay, I think that's everything! Here we go!

…

Chapter One: The Beginning

Kurain Village sat high above the rest of California, the July sun baking down on the mountain top village. In front of the largest house, Fey Manor, stood Luke Triton.

He shifted his weight slightly from foot to foot, equal amounts excited and nervous. Pearl Fey, his girlfriend of two years, smiled up at him.

"I can't believe you're going on an actual dig!" she said. Luke smiled, taking her hands in his own and letting the two pairs swing between them.

"How many times are you going to say that?" he asked with a hint of laughter in his voice. Pearl giggled, stretching up on her tippy toes, kissing his cheek.

"I'm just excited for you, that's all!" she replied with a grin. Luke grinned at her.

"So am I," he admitted, pulling her closer and giving her a gentle kiss. Pearl responded immediately, and it was a few minutes before they pulled apart.

Just then the sound of a car horn drew their attention to the road. Luke quickly looked back at his girlfriend and pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head.

"I'll see you in a few weeks, Pearl," he breathed softly against her hair. Pearl smiled at that and gave him a tight hug before realizing something.

"Oh!" she pulled back and reached into her long sleeve, pulling something light blue out. Luke looked at it curiously.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A Magatama. One of mine. I've imbued it with Spiritual Magic. Take it with you to keep you safe," she said, pressing it into his hand. Luke looked at it, noticing a thin chain attached, and smiled, putting it around his neck and under his shirt, where it sat against his heart.

"Of course." He hugged her once more. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied without hesitation. With another honk of the car horn and a sigh, Luke bent down and picked up his satchel and duffle bag. He then turned to the car where Dr. Gregory Kingston, his mentor, and Dr. Clark Triton, his father, waited. Pearl watched after him, her hands resting on her own Magatama.

…

"Welcome to Amity Park, Clark, Luke," Gregory said with a warm smile, glancing between his colleague in the passenger seat, and his assistant in the back. Luke looked up from his notebook and looked around at the small town reputed to be the center of ghost activity, and reached up, touching the spot where Pearl's Magatama hung beneath his shirt.

"The Native American artifacts were found in the park, right?" Clark asked, looking over at Gregory, who nodded.

"Yes, by a few archeologist researching something else," he replied. Clark nodded, resting back against the seat and continuing to look around. Luke, however, looked at his book thoughtfully, wondering what this other group could be researching.

He didn't have to wait long. Greg pulled up into the parking lot of the park, and the three men gathered their equipment from the trunk. They then trekked their way across the park until they found the dig, with a tent set up near it. As they moved closer, a man, just a year older then Luke, stepped from the tent, his blond hair shinning in the summer sun. He spotted them and waved. Luke instantly recognized him.

"Eric!?" he called, jogging forward.

"Who?" Greg asked Clark quietly.

"Eric Shiner, son of Professor Loudon Shiner of Gressensheller University. Luke and him were equal parts friends and rivals when we lived in London," Clark explained.

"Luke!?" Eric called, shoving his bangs out of his brown eyes. "The last time I saw you, we were, what, thirteen and fourteen?" he asked, taking in the appearance of his old friend. Luke now stood at 5'10" and was slightly lanky. His hair style was still the same under his blue cap, and his face was plenty tan from the field work he's done.

Eric, on the other hand, was about three inches taller then Luke, more muscular, and a lot tanner, showing that he's been doing digs and field work a lot longer then his friend.

"Yeah, something like that," Luke replied, suddenly aware of the slight, American accent he's picked up in these last ten years. Eric smiled at that, but didn't comment. "What are you doing here, anyway?" Luke asked, tipping his head slightly to the side.

"Well, my father and I are researching the Venrin. Are you with the archeologists from California?"

"Yep. But… what are the Venrin?"

…

Luke wasn't going to lie. The Venrin deeply fascinated him, just as the Azran had when he was younger. However, he wasn't here with his mentor and father to research them.

They were here for the Native Americans.

Dr. Shiner and Eric told the three archeologists about their find; a stash of stone arrow heads. It wasn't nearly as deep down in the ground as the artifacts they were searching for, but it was there and would need to be studied as well.

"In the week it took you guys to get here, I already found a few artifacts," Eric said smugly to Luke as they sat down for dinner that night.

"What!?" Luke gasped, nearly choking on his boiled potatoes. Eric grinned brighter.

"Yes. There was two pieces of jewelry, necklaces, and a tablet I'm currently working on deciphering," he explained. Luke huffed, frowning at his plate. "Dad, meanwhile, is still working out in the field."

"How far have you gotten on deciphering that tablet?" Luke asked.

"About halfway," Eric answered, leaning back in his seat, enjoying watching his old friend/rival squirm. He had always been so jealous when Luke would go on adventures with Professor Layton, it was great finally being able to best him at something. Luke huffed again in response, looking down.

He needed to find something – _anything_ – before Eric finished deciphering that tablet.

"We're going to go back to the hotel after dinner," Clark said, leaning over to Luke. Luke hesitated before nodding.

"Do you mind if I explore a bit? I mean, this is Ghost Capital, USA, and after spending so much time in Kurain…" he trailed off, and Clark smiled.

"Sure. Just be careful. Don't…" Clark let himself trail off, realizing Luke was no longer a kid and didn't need to be told to not stay out too late. Luke just smiled warmly at his dad, giving his arm a squeeze.

"I'll be careful. Don't worry, Dad," he said with a smile.

…

Luke carefully picked his way through the dig, shinning a flashlight just before his feet to make sure he didn't step on anything vital, until he got to the area where the arrow heads were found. He then clicked on his head-lamp, pulled on some gloves, kneeled down, and began to carefully dig.

Working a dig was a lot different then the adventures he had with Professor Layton, but they were still exciting in their own way. The blood pumping adrenaline of hoping for a discovery, the excitement of finding one, the thirst for knowledge of trying to figure out what the discovery meant, everything.

Suddenly, the light from his head lamp flashed off of something between Luke's hands. His eyes widened, and he quickly used a brush to move the dirt off of the metal object until he fully unearthed it. Carefully, he lifted it up to study it closer. It was a circle of metal, almost like a bracelet bangle, or a band, made out of a mysterious, silver metal with emerald green ruins on it.

Definitely not Native American. He sat back, studying the ruins before remembering a few of the artifacts he'd seen in the tent. Reaching into his satchel, he pulled out a piece of cloth and carefully wrapped the band. He then placed it back into his bag and threaded his way back to the tent.

Inside hung all kinds of maps and topographical charts of the park. One map was broken down into a grid, with different areas marked off, almost like they've already been searched. Luke, however, was more interested in the tablet that Eric had been gloating about earlier. It was laying on one of the desks, a few books around it. Looking closer, Luke realized one of the books was a dictionary of the ruins, translating them into English.

He pulled the band out and flipped through the book, hoping to confirm his suspicion.

Finally, he found what he was looking for. He compared the band to the book, matching the ruins up.

A perfect match.

"So, that's what this means. ' _Spirit,'_ huh?" he muttered to himself, before realizing something.

He'd just discovered a Venrin artifact. And it had to do with _spirits_. That meant the band was a lot more important then some random piece of Venrin jewelry.

"So, I'll just study it in my down time, figure out what it means, _then_ tell Dr. Shiner and Eric. After all, they're so busy with the tablet, and this is just so interesting!" Luke muttered to himself, rewrapping the band and placing it back in his satchel before leaving the tent. He packed his gloves and headlamp away as he walked out of the park, heading first to a convenience store, then back to the hotel he was staying at with Clark and Greg.

He was almost halfway there when the Magatama against his chest grew warm. "Hm?" He looked down, seeing a faint, green glow through his shirt.

" _Squeak, squeak!_ "

Luke's head snapped up, recognizing a cry for help. The Magatama grew warmer still, and a fluffy gray mouse, chased by a glowing green cat, shot out of an ally next to him.

Luke immediately dove into action, springing forward and scooping the mouse up. The mouse gave a started cry, before realizing he was being saved and clinging to Luke. The cat skidded to a stop and hissed at Luke, his fur fluffing up.

"Scram!" Luke told the cat, who only hissed again. Luke took a step closer, stomping his foot in front of the cat in an effort to scare it off. He realized he couldn't understand it, meaning this was no ordinary cat (the glow didn't help). The stomp, or maybe the flash of green from beneath Luke's shirt, did the trick though, because the cat suddenly turned tail and ran. Luke looked down at his new friend.

"You okay?"

" _Sq-squeak!_ "

"A ghost cat?"

" _Squeak…"_

"Well, don't worry. That nasty ol' ghost cat won't bother you again," Luke said with a smile. "I'm Luke. What's your name?"

" _Squeak._ "

"It's… Squeak?" Luke asked, the look on his face clearly showing that he thought that to be an unoriginal name. Squeak the mouse nodded proudly, and Luke smiled, carefully putting him down. "Okay. Well, I have to go now, Squeak. Be careful, okay?"

" _Squeak! Sq-squeak squeak squeak squeak!"_ the mouse jumped back onto Luke's foot and quickly climbed up his pant leg. Luke caught him.

"Whoa, what? You want to come with me?"

" _Squeak… squeak squeak._ "

"Well, if you really feel safer with me, who am I to deny you? Alright, come on, Squeak. I have to send a letter first, then back to the hotel," he said with a smile, making his way to a convenience store for paper and an envelope. Squeak squeaked contently, making himself at home in Luke's jacket pocket.

…

 **A/N:** And here's the first chapter! I'm trying to go for longer chapters with this story.

What do you all think of Eric? For Kingdom Hearts fans, I'm trying for a Sora/Riku friendship between Luke and Eric, with Luke as Sora, except… Eric wont go evil, and they don't like the same girl.

But competing wise, they're like Sora and Riku!

And what do you think of Squeak? I know, unoriginal name. I built that into this with Luke's reaction, haha.

Oh, the fluffiness at the beginning of this. It's just so cute!

Okay, I'll stop now… heh…


	2. First Contact

**A/N:** Here we go with the next chapter! Danny knows about Magatamas because he's met Maya and Phoenix ("The Phantom Turnabout," and "Turnabout to Revenge"). Danny sleeps shirtless now, by the way. He still wears PJ pants though.

…

Chapter Two: First Contact

The sun carefully peeked through the curtains, into the one bedroom apartment, and onto the faces of a sleeping couple. Danny Fenton groaned softly, burying his face into his girlfriend's back to block out the sun. Sam Manson, on the other hand, sighed, turning her head slightly to face her sleeping boyfriend. It being seven in the morning, and her not being a morning person, her words came out in more of a growl then she intended.

"Danny, wake up."

"No…" he mumbled, burrowing more into her. Sam sighed, hating the fact that she had to wake him up. After all, he spent three hours last night chasing down a stupid ghost cat that was wrecking havoc, and sending it back to the Ghost Zone.

"Danny, you have to," she said, moving away from the ghost boy and shaking his arm. One crystal blue eye opened and looked at her reproachfully.

"Why…" he mumbled.

"You have that training session with the police, remember?" she said. Danny groaned, closing his eyes for a moment, before sitting up. That's when Sam noticed the scratches on his chest and arms. "The ghost cat?" she asked. Danny nodded, standing and stretching his arms high above his head. Sam shook her head, admiring his muscular body for a few moments, before Danny disappeared into the bathroom. She then got up herself, picked a mostly black outfit out for the day, and slipped into the kitchen to make breakfast for Danny before he left.

Right after graduation, Danny and Sam decided to move in together. They found a one bedroom apartment, paid for by Sam's fortune, and have been living there for the last year. Sam worked at Amity Park's Arboretum, while Danny trained the law enforcement's new recruits all in ghost hunting.

"I feel like the training sessions are getting earlier and earlier," Danny said as he came out, fully dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt, towel drying his hair. Sam smiled down at the frying pan where she was making scrambled tofu eggs and pancakes. She also had avocado cut up on a plate, ready to be served with breakfast.

"No, you're just becoming less and less a morning person," she said. Danny was quiet for a moment, watching her.

"I blame you."

"What!?"

"You're night-owlishness is rubbing off on me," he said, letting the towel drop to his shoulder and going over, kissing her cheek. Sam rolled her purple eyes.

"Oh whatever," she playfully snapped, pulling down plates. "I still get up a lot easier then you do."

"Only when I tell you to go home and get sleep, rather then running around Amity with me in the middle of the night."

"Even then, I did. I'm just more responsible."

The two continued to playfully bicker as Sam set the two plates down on the table. Danny shook his head at the 'eggs.' Since they've moved in together, when he cooked, he'd cook both meat and tofu, though he understood why Sam didn't. Instead, he grabbed the ketchup and smothered the mock eggs before eating them.

Protein was protein, after all.

Once he finished, he kissed Sam's cheek, grabbed his bag, and left for work.

Flying, it didn't take him long at all to reach the Police Academy, where he instantly went to the training course. There, he found the recruits milling around. With a smirk, he turned invisible and landed among them. A few stiffened, quickly looking around. Other's didn't notice at all. Making note of them, Danny flew to the front.

"Alright, guys," he started, staying invisible. Everyone jumped, their heads snapping towards the source of the voice. "We're going to try something new. You won't always have ghost detection equipment, or sometimes, it'll malfunction. You need to be able to sense a ghost when he's amongst you." He turned visible. "Usually, the temperature will suddenly drop about ten degrees when a ghost is nearby. You need to be able to feel this with your body. In order to train you with this, I'm going to turn invisible and move. In thirty seconds, try to find me."

"Yes, sir!" the officers chorused. Danny smiled, nodded, and turned invisible once more.

Three hours of invisible hide and go seek later, the officers were finally starting to understand how to feel for the temperature differences. It was almost like playing a literal game of reverse hotter-colder.

"Good, guys, good," Danny said, clapping for them once they were all clustered around him. He turned visible once more. "Johnston can tell you what it's like to walk through an intangible ghost as well," he added with a grin at the shivering recruit. The man simply smiled back sheepishly.

"Alright, now—" Danny cut off as a chill shot up his spine, and his next puff of breath was visible. By now, the recruits knew exactly what that meant. "Take lunch!" he announced, going ghosts and shooting up through the ceiling. It only took him a few seconds of looking around for the ghost before he pinpointed it's location and flew head long towards the park.

As he grew closer, another, more subtle chill shot up his spine. He went cross-eyed for a moment, searching for his visible breath, but it never came.

"A Magatama?" he wondered out loud.

 _BOOM!_

He didn't have time to think. He shot towards the park, pouring on as much speed as he could, until finally, he saw what was going on.

A ghost was attacking the archeology dig that was in progress in the park. Five people were in the center of it all, although only one was conscious.

Luke dropped down next to his knees next to his father, who had been knocked unconscious from that last blast. They had been steadily working their way through the soil, sifting out each of the arrowheads and labeling them, when the ghost had suddenly attacked. That last blast should have hit him as well, but for reason, he was unharmed.

He began to wonder if it had to do with the Magatama. Right before the ghost showed up, and at each blast, it grew hot against the skin on his chest.

"Hey, hater of history! Pick on someone in your own league!" Danny yelled at the ghost, causing Luke to look up. The ghost also turned to Danny, whose heart nearly stopped.

For a moment, he thought he was looking at Freakshow. This ghost had the same, sickly white pale skin (paler then most ghosts), glowing red eyes, and thin face.

Another look assured Danny that his initial thoughts were false. This ghost had pointed ears, a flat nose, and was wearing a long cloak rather then the Circus Gothica ringmaster uniform.

The ghost stared at Danny for a moment, a scowl crossing his face.

"Insolent Halfling. You should be bowing before one of a higher station then yourself," he sneered.

"Um… right. You're funny," Danny replied, blasting the ghost away from the archeologists. Luke couldn't help himself: he watched the unfolding battle in horrid fascination.

The ghost quickly recovered from the blast and flew towards Danny, who met him head on, grappling with him.

"How dare you oppose one of your masters, Halfling?" the ghost growled.

"Seriously, dude, I don't even understand what you're saying," Danny replied. His eyes flashed an icy blue, the green around his hands turning the same color. Ice began to creep up the other ghost's arms. Once it reached his shoulders, Danny let go and kicked off from the ghost's stomach, sending him flying back. He then noticed Luke.

"Run! Get out of here!" he yelled.

"I can't just leave them, or the dig!" Luke called back, motioning to his unconscious companions. Danny quickly looked at them with a frown, understanding where he was coming from. "WATCH OUT!" Luke suddenly yelled. Danny whirled around in time to get tackled by the ghost, who had freed himself from the ice while Danny had been distracted. He struggled with the ghost as the two of them slammed into the ground, Danny hitting it first.

"UGH!" he cried out. "Get off of me, creep!" he yelled, lashing out with an ecto-covered fist and punching the ghost right in the jaw. He lurched back in pain, and Danny managed to free himself, flying back up. "Ow…" he muttered, rubbing his bruised shoulder. The ghost wasn't finished though, and flew up to grab Danny once more.

This time, Danny was unprepared. The ghost latched onto his ankle and flew up high before spinning like a top. Danny tried to free himself, but was quickly getting dizzy.

Suddenly, the ghost let go, flinging Danny right at the ground.

"No!" Luke gasped, watching as the famed Halfa rocketed towards the fresh dirt of the dig. Somehow, in his dizzy state, Danny still had the presence of mind to go intangible. Both Luke and the ghost waited, but he didn't come back up. Finally, the ghost turned towards Luke.

"Give me the band, so that I might put an end to this battle," he growled. Luke instinctually grabbed his bag.

"What!?" he gasped.

"Give it to me! NOW!" the ghost roared, diving towards the young archaeologist. Luke looked around frantically, searching for something, anything, when suddenly, he spotted something silver and green. Diving towards it, he saw that it was a thermos with a green F on the side. Desperate, he rolled onto his back, opened the cap, and wished for the best.

Thankfully, the best happened. A flash of light shot out of the thermos and enveloped the ghost diving right at Luke. It quickly sucked him into the thermos, which Luke quickly closed, his chest heaving and his heart racing with adrenaline.

Once he calmed his body, Luke quickly rose to his feet, putting the thermos in his bag, and looked between his companions and the spot where Danny Phantom had disappeared.

First: Move everyone to the tent.

It took a lot of time and effort, but he finally managed to move Loudon, Eric, Gregory, and his father back to the tent. He searched them over for injuries and took care of the ones he found.

Second: Search for Danny Phantom.

He returned to the spot where the Halfa had disappeared, searching and waiting for him to come back out of the ground.

" _Squeak squeak?_ " Squeak poked his head from Luke's pocket, looking up at him.

"I need to make sure he's okay. After all, a true gentleman always helps someone in need," Luke explained, putting a hand to the brim of his hat and looking around. "I just… don't know where he's at," he finished lamely with a sigh.

"Hey! You there!" a voice suddenly barked. Luke jumped slightly, turning towards the source. Striding towards him were two men, one white, one African American, both bald in white suits and sunglasses.

"Excuse me, but this is an archeologist dig. Authorized personnel only," Luke said, walking over to them. The one in front, the white one, held up a badge.

"The Guys in White. I am Operative K, and my partner is Operative O. Our Paranormal Detection Equipment picked up ghost activity from this area," he said.

"The… Guys in White?" Luke asked, casting a suspicious eye over their snow white suits. He then looked into K's face and saw a very dangerous look, causing him to shiver slightly. It reminded him of… something. He couldn't place his finger on it though. "Well… either way, you're too late. Danny Phantom took care of the ghost," Luke found himself saying without even thinking.

Truth be told, the ghost took care of Danny Phantom, who was still missing. Somehow, though, Luke knew that would be the wrong thing to say. Even if a true gentleman never lied.

Both men glanced at each other before looking around the dig. O had some kind of machine out, inspecting the dirt with it, while K moved closer, almost in a threatening way, to Luke.

"What are you searching for out here?" he demanded. Luke watched both of them carefully.

"Native Americans," he answered. The two Operatives shared a look, one that was not lost on Luke.

And suddenly, he realized who they reminded him of.

 _Targent_.

"Nothing else?" K pressed, moving even closer to the boy.

"Nothing," Luke said, suddenly knowing it would be a very, very bad idea if they knew about the Venrin. "Now, if you don't excuse me, I need to finish making sure nothing is damaged before I continue seeing to my colleagues. They were injured in the ghost attack."

"We would like to search the area," K said, talking over him at the end. Luke took a deep breath and drew himself up to full height.

"Out of the question," he said.

"What?" both men spluttered together.

"This is currently private property, leased to Gressensheller University, and you two don't have a warrant. Not only that, but there are countless fragile artifacts in the tent and ground right now, and I don't need you to clumsily break something," Luke asserted, putting as much authority in his voice as he could manage. Then men glanced at each other once more, anger smoldering in their eyes, before looking back at Luke.

"Fine. We will come back with a warrant at another time," K said as O packed up his device. Both men moved away from the dig, while Luke held his ground, watching them go.

He didn't miss the glances they threw back at him either.

…

The first thing Danny noticed when he came to was how heavy his body felt. It was like it had been drained of energy.

Then, as he forced his tired eyelids open, he noticed that it was dark out. And that he was in the park. He could feel something vibrating against his leg. Mustering the energy, somehow, he moved his lead filled arm to his pocket and pulled out his phone. He then clicked the answer button and put it against his ear.

"Ssello?" he slurred.

"… _Danny…?_ " Sam asked on the other end of the line. Danny wearily eyed the trees above him wondering if he could even find the energy to sit up. " _Danny, where are you? What happened?_ "

"Ssapark…" Danny muttered, his eyes drifting closed. "Sser… wuzaghos…"

Danny's eyes snapped open as though he'd been electrocuted.

" _Ghost, what ghost?"_ Sam demanded. Danny tried to push himself up, finally succeeded after the third time, and slumped forward.

"I… I don't…" he forced his words to come out clearer, but he couldn't for the life of him remember what happened after he was thrown into the ground. Even looking around, he recognized he was no where near the archeology dig.

" _Danny, are you okay?"_ Sam demanded.

"I… don't know…" Danny finally answered. He then tried to push himself up to a standing position, but the world spun, forcing him to lay back with a groan.

He then realized that the only other time he's ever felt like this was when his ectoenergy was totally depleted. To test this, he tried going ghost.

The ring appeared, popped, then fizzled away, and his head swam, prompting him to move his left hand up to his head.

Once his vision cleared, he saw something on this wrist that wasn't there before. A silver band with ghostly green ruins around it.

"Danny!" a voice he dreaded hearing yelled. He groaned, but turned his head sluggishly in time to see his parents running over.

"Mom and Dad are here…" he muttered to Sam.

" _Before you give me any grief, you've been missing since noon. It is now three in the morning,"_ Sam answered defensively, before sighing. " _I'll meet you at Fenton Works."_ With that, she hung up.

Maddie ran over to her son, sliding carefully down into the crater he laid in. To her expert eyes, he wasn't injured, but exhausted. She knelt by his head, carefully pulling it into his lap. "Danny, sweetie? Are you okay?" she demanded. Danny smiled slightly.

"Yeah… tired… Ectoenergy is… depleted," he forced out, making a true effort not to sound drunk. Maddie nodded in understanding.

"Which is why our detection equipment wasn't picking you up," she said, as though she just solved a puzzle. Danny simply smiled apologetically.

"Son, what happened?" Jack asked, bending over him. Danny's brows furrowed in confusion.

"I… don't know," he admitted, before trying to tug the band off of his left wrist. It stuck to him like glue. "But… I can't…" he held up his arm for his parents to see. They glanced at each other before both trying. The results stayed the same.

"I know what will get that off!" Jack suddenly boomed, whipping something that looked like a cross between a hacksaw and an ax, coated in glow in the dark paint, from behind his back. "The Fenton Ghostly Hacksaw!"

Danny's eyes widened at the contraption, and he held his arm against his chest as tightly as his weakened body would allow.

"Jack, put the hacksaw away. We're not going to cut Danny's hand off," Maddie scolded, before standing and suddenly picking Danny up over her shoulders as though she were carrying a wounded soldier from the battlefield.

"Whoa…" Danny muttered, surprised his mom was still strong enough to do so.

"Aw…" Jack sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed as he put the Hacksaw away and followed after his wife.

…

 **A/N:** And we've come to the end of another chapter! Those Assholes in Whi—I mean Guys in White. Just what are they up to? And what's going to happen to Luke? And what's going on with Danny? AND WHERE DOES JACK KEEP THESE INVENTIONS!?


	3. The Venrin

**A/N:** Here we go with another chapter! By the way, the Venrin is an ancient civilization of my own creation.

Here's some Professor Layton for you!

…

Chapter Three: The Venrin

Professor Hershal Layton watched as his students filed into the classroom and took their seats. If there was one thing he loved on the same level as puzzle solving, it was educating young minds.

"Alright, class, settle down," he started once the clock struck eleven. The students instantly quieted down, giving the professor their full attention. He smiled warmly at them, beginning his lesson.

"As you all know, we are starting ancient civilizations today, such as the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Romans—"

"And the Azran, Professor?" one of the students asked, her hand raised. Professor Layton smiled at her with a nod, a hand to the brim of his hat.

"Yes, Ms. Strider, and the Azran," he confirmed. "For this unit, I usually take a two class periods to talk about the five most prominently known civilizations. Today, we will— yes, Mr. White?" the professor cut off as another hand shot up.

"Professor, is it true that the Azran's created Misthallary's Golden Garden, Ambrosia, and the ruins beneath Monte d'Or?" he asked. The professor nodded.

"Are you referring to the Nautilus Chamber of Akbadain? Then yes," The professor said. Another hand went up.

"Professor, is it also true that the world had an entirely different ecosystem in the Azran's days?"

"And that they were even more technologically advanced then us?"

"And that they created dolls as their labor force?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Professor Layton said, making a placating motion with his hands. The students fell quiet, watching the professor with wide, bright eyes. Professor Layton smiled apologetically at them. "We will discuss all of this when we reach the Azran segment of this section. If you all are truly that interested, then I would suggest Donald Rutledge's book, _Ancient Histories_ ," he said. Most of the class wrote the title down before looking back up at the man in front of him. He smiled.

"Today, we will be talking about a different civilization. Now, I know all of you know of Amity Park and ghosts after the Disasteroid Incident, correct?" he asked. Quite a few students nodded, and a hand shot into the air.

"Yes, Ms. Strider?" he asked, looking once more at the girl in the front of the class.

"Professor, isn't that where Professor Shiner is on Sabbatical?" she asked. Professor Layton smiled.

"Correct. He is researching the very people we will be discussing. How many here have heard of the Venrin Civilization?" he asked. Only a smattering of hands rose, and the professor gave his class a bemused smile. "If you haven't, there is no need to be ashamed. It is not very well known," he explained. Most of the hands went down, and the Professor nodded once more before going over to his chalk board, glancing momentarily in a book on his desk.

"Venrin artifacts have popped up all over the world, but most have appeared in or around Amity Park, Illinois." He wrote on the board as he spoke. "Artifacts made of stone contain the same signature found only in that small town, while the metal ones are unidentifiable. Just five years ago, Artie Digger discovered a rock stele that translated almost all of the Venrin Ruins into a Native American language, which was then translated by Digger himself into English."

"Do you mean like the Rosetta Stone, with how it has Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Demotic script, and Ancient Greek?" a student asked.

"Exactly," the professor said, picking up the book and holding it up for the students to see the picture of the large stone, coated in writing. "Digger calls it the 'Phantom Rosetta Stone,'" he said, smiling slightly at the sounds of pens and pencils against paper.

"Excuse me, Professor, but why the 'Phantom Rosetta Stone?'" a student asked. The professor smiled.

"Excellent question. This is because the Venrin were deeply connected to the spiritual world, as stated on the Phantom Rosetta Stone," he explained, tapping the book. Another student raised his hand, and the professor nodded for him to proceed.

"Why is it Venrin and Native American, though?" he asked.

"Another good question. This stele was written by a Native American Shaman. The Venrin lived a very long time ago, just before the Native Americans. Most mysteriously died– Digger believe either a foreign illness or warfare – but a few are believed to have survived intermingled with the Native Americans. They were the Shamans of the Native American tribes in and around the Amity Park area. To this end, they would know not only their own language, but also that of the tribe who adopted them," Professor Layton explained. The students nodded at this information, some writing it, some discussing it quietly with their neighbors. The professor let them for a few moments before quietly clearing his throat. Instantly, all eyes were on him again.

"There is not much known about the Venrin. To this end, this shall be the only class period we discuss them. For homework, however, you are to find Artie Digger's essays in the Archeology journals and read them. We will discuss them for the first ten minutes of class next time," the Professor explained, before moving on to a much larger and well known topic; the Ancient Greeks.

…

Professor Layton returned to his office after that class, looking forward to relaxing with a nice cup of tea. There, he knew he would find his charge, Flora Reinhold, tapping away at her typewriter. Sure enough, as he reached the door, he heard the tell-tale _tap-tap-tap_.

"Hello, my dear," he said as he opened the door and stepped in. Flora looked up and broke into a huge grin.

"Professor!" she said, quickly darting to her feet and running over to his desk. Hershal shook his head once more at how much the girl he sees as his daughter had grown into a young woman. Her long hair was still pulled back into a pony-tail, with the characteristic curl covering her forehead, but now she stood at about 5'3" and wore a pink blouse and matching skirt with white leggings underneath, ending in a pair of boots. She moved a lot more confidently then she used to, and wasn't as afraid of being alone either.

"This came in the mail today," she said, turning and presenting the brooding 'father' with a letter. "It's from Luke!"

Finally understanding the source of her excitement, Professor Layton took his letter opener and opened the letter, quickly smoothing it out to read it.

 _Dear Professor, Flora, and Alfendi,_

 _How are you all doing? I trust you've been keeping busy, of course. I really enjoyed 'The Curious Village,' Flora. You did a wonderful job at writing it, and I can't wait until you finish your next book and it gets published!_

 _Have you kept up with your fencing practice, Alfendi? You still owe me a rematch after last time. This time we probably shouldn't do it at Fey manor though. We don't want to make Pearl think we're trying to kill each other again!_

 _How are your classes going, Professor? I'm sure the students (well, most of them) are just soaking in everything you tell them like a sponge. You should be starting your ancient civilization unit soon, correct? How many students do you think will ask you about the Azran this semester?_

 _Dad, Dr. Kingston, and I arrived in Amity Park this morning. You'll never guess who we ran into! Professor Shiner and Eric! Talk about a blast from the past. They're researching the Venrin. I'm sure you know all there is to know about the Venrin, Professor. I have to keep reminding myself to focus on the Native Americans because the Venrin are just so interesting!_

 _I did find something tonight though. A band that is covered in the Venrin ruin for spirits. This has to be important. After all, the Venrin were deeply involved with the spiritual world._

 _Speaking of spirits, I just saw my first ghost since arriving at Amity Park. A ghost cat, chasing a poor mouse. I saved the mouse and scared away the cat. Now I don't think Squeak (I did not name him that) is ever going to leave me!_

 _That's everything that's happening with me right now. I hope to hear back from you soon, professor! Just send your letter to the return address._

 _Love always,_

 _Your faithful apprentice,_

 _Luke Triton._

"Amity Park? Ghosts?" Flora asked before giving a little shudder. "Spooky."

"He read your book," Professor Layton reminded her with an amused smile. Flora's eyes lit up, and she smiled.

"I know! I didn't think he was serious about it doing it, but I'm glad he did." She looked back at the letter, shaking her head. "So… Professor… What do you know about the Venrin?" she asked. Professor Layton chuckled at the timing between his class and Luke's letter before beginning to tell Flora everything he just told his class. She asked questions here and there before finally nodding.

"I get it now," she said with a smile. The professor smiled warmly at her.

"I knew you would, my dear." He stood and walked over to his kettle, pouring himself a cup of tea before looking out of the window of his office.

…

Danny sat on the couch in his parents' living room, watching his mom as she analyzed the band around his wrist. In the few days since it first appeared, he still hadn't been able to remove it. And after the incident with the Fenton Hacksaw, he wasn't letting Jack anywhere near his arm. He did, however, recover his energy, so at least one good thing happened.

"Aw, common, Danny, I was just joking," Jack said.

"No Dad. Just… no," he said. Maddie frowned, finally looking up.

"There are no seams, no place where it separates… nothing," she told her son, who looked once more at the band.

"Of course not," he sighed, letting it drop back down on the couch next to him."

"Have you tried going intangible through it?" Maddie asked, sitting back. Danny nodded.

"Multiple times, but it doesn't work. Whatever this is… it's ghost proof," he said.

"Of course," Maddie sighed, shaking her head.

"You know what though… I must have picked it up at that dig. What if the archeologists there know what it is, and can get it off?" Danny asked, suddenly having a light bulb moment. Maddie smiled.

"That's perfect! Do you want company?" she asked. Danny shook his head, standing.

"Nah, I'll be fine. It's right at the park, which is a short walk from here, right?" he said. His parents nodded, watching as he walked out, both worried about him.

Danny stretched as he waked down the stoop to his parents' house before deciding to jog to the park. There, he ducked under the rope barrier.

"Hey! You can't be in here!" a voice shouted. Turning in the direction, he saw a guy, only a few years older then himself, rushing over.

"I'm sorry, I just—"

"Wait, you're Danny Phantom!" Eric gasped, changing his tune instantly. Danny shrugged with a smile.

"Yeah."

"Well, what's up? Sense a ghost around here or something?" he asked.

"No. I actually wanted to talk to one of the archeologists here," Danny admitted. Eric chuckled.

"You already are. What can I do for you?"

"Well, a few days ago, I was fighting a ghost here, and… he shot me through the ground," Danny explained, pointing to the general area. "I was intangible, so I don't think I disturbed anything, but…" he held up his left wrist, letting the band catch the sunlight. Eric gasped, grabbing his wrist.

"A Venrin Band," he said softly, studying it. He then looked at Danny.

"This is a crucial artifact. Please, we need it," he said, seeming desperate.

"And I'd love to give it to you, but…" Danny tugged on it. "It's kind of attached,"

"Oh… um… well, Maybe Dad will know what to do," Eric said. "Come on." He lead the ghost boy through then dig. It was so weird to him to see the this part of the park so dug up, but he also understood the importance of the archeology dig.

"Dad! We need your help!" Eric called as he got closer to three other men.

 _CRASH!_ Danny winced slightly, his head snapping around, while Eric really flinched at the sound of falling artifacts.

"Careful, Clark!" Gregory said, catching his friend's elbow. Clark just nodded and kneeled down to try to salvage the bin of arrowheads he just dropped, muttering an apology.

"I don't think that's how your supposed to treat hundreds of years old artifacts…" Danny muttered. Eric simply shook his head, leading him over to the man who looked up at his shout.

"Dad, Danny Phantom. Danny – can I call you that?" he asked. Danny nodded.

"I would prefer it, actually."

"Danny, this is my father, Professor Loudon Shiner," he said. Danny held out his right hand, shaking the older man's.

"Professor Shiner. It's a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine. Now, what can I do you for?" the professor asked.

"He has a Venrin Band around his wrist, Dad. Picked up during a ghost battle, right?" Danny nodded. "And he can't remove it."

"Well, let's get back to the tent," Professor Shiner said, herding the two that way. Danny glanced around as they entered, expecting maps, books, and artifacts everywhere.

He was shocked to find the tent bare and empty with only a few scraps of paper laying around.

"You guys must have found something. You've been here for weeks and dug up half the park," Danny said, looking between the two. Professor Shiner motioned for him to sit, and he obeyed.

"We did find stuff," Eric explained as his father studied the band around Danny's wrist. "But the night of the ghost attack, we were all knocked out. It all… vanished…" Eric trailed off, looking away.

"Along with my son."

Clark Triton stepped into the tent, gripping the bin full of salvaged arrowheads, his knuckles white.

"My son, Luke… he went missing that night, too."

…

 **A/N:** Well, the summary told you all that was going to happen, hehe.


	4. Amity Park

**A/N:** Here we go!

…

Chapter Four: Amity Park

Professor Layton walked back to his office, having just finished his last class for the evening. He had answered more questions then anything, meaning he didn't fully get through his lesson. Ah well, another problem for another day.

Because of the late hour, Hershal wasn't at all surprised to find not only Flora, but his adopted son, Alfendi Layton, in his office as well. Flora was grading papers for him while Alfendi scribbled furiously at his homework.

"How are those papers coming, my dear?" he asked, leaning over to see which one Flora was working on. She looked up with a smile.

"They're good, Professor. Most of the students are hitting every point you asked about in your prompt," she assured him. Layton smiled with a nod before looking over Alfendi's shoulder, mussing with his scarlet hair.

"And you're homework, my boy?"

"Eh. Quite asinine, really. The teacher goes in an idiotic round about away of asking things," the teen grumbled.

"Now Alfendi, a true gentleman never speaks ill of his educators," Professor Layton scolded gently. Alfendi frowned more.

"But, Father—" he began.

"No buts," the professor added, allowing his hand to drop from Alfendi's hair and going over to his desk. Alfendi huffed slightly, blowing a lock of hair from in front of his eyes.

"Yeah, fine, whatever," he mumbled, turning back to his homework. Flora peeked up at the boy across from her, only for him to give her a dirty look, showing just how bad a mood he was in. Flora had grown used to these moods though, and stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation.

The professor had missed this exchange, however, once he spotted his mail. In the pile, there was a letter from Pearl Fey.

"Hm…" he hummed, picking up his letter opener and opening the letter. He then unfolded it, noticing dried splotches of what looked like water, and began to read.

 _Dear Professor,_

 _I don't know who else to write. As I'm sure you know, he went to Amity Park for a dig. The issue is… well, his father called. Apparently, there was a ghost attack, then both Luke and all of the artifacts they found went missing!_

 _Please… you have to help. I'm so scared something has happened to him, and you're the only person I know who would be capable of getting to the bottom of this mystery._

 _Please._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Pearl Fey._

Professor Layton sat heavily in his seat, his mind reeling. Luke? Missing? Clark must be going mad with worry, as well as Brenda. What could have happened? Did that ghost have something to do with it? His mind tried to grasp out at anything in order to help him figure out this mystery, but no answers came to him.

"I must look at this with a clear head," Hershal muttered to himself, cupping his chin. Alfendi and Flora had noticed his odd behavior and were watching him.

"He's distressed about something. I'm 99.98 percent sure of it," Alfendi said to his adoptive sister, their silent argument forgotten. Flora nodded in agreement.

"I know. I just wonder what about," she replied.

"There was a letter from Pearl in there," Alfendi admitted.

"Luke's Pearl?" Flora asked, her head snapping around to face the boy. He scowled at her, crossing his arms.

"What other Pearl do you know?" he demanded.

"Well excuse me for making sure," she retorted.

"Ask another supid question like that, and I'll cut—"

"Luke's missing," The professor's quiet voice cur across Alfendi's threat, and both whirled to face him.

"…What…?" Flora asked, feeling a little light headed. Alfendi pushed her gently back into a chair.

"Luke. He's… missing. Pearl's asking for me to look into it."

"And we will, right?" Alfendi demanded.

"Of course we will." The professor stood, nodding to himself. "But a boat is too slow. We must take a plane. It will be much faster," he decided. He then looked back. "Book three air plane tickets to Amity Park. I must go speak to Dean Delmona." With that, he turned sharply on his heel and strode out of the office, Pearl's letter clutched in his hand.

…

As soon as they landed, Professor Layton, Flora, and Alfendi began their investigation.

"It's a tiny town that has seen too much excitement for its own good," Alfendi began, cupping his chin. "And a ghost attack happened just before Luke vanished. However… I am 89.2 percent sure the ghost didn't have anything to do with it."

"And what makes you so sure?" the professor asked, curious as to his son's logic.

"Well, to start, I've read that most ghosts are chaotic beings that usually only have one goal or purpose. This usually has to do with someone they know personally, or that has some kind of influence in the ghostly community, such as Danny Phantom. However, Luke hadn't been in Amity Park longer then a week, and had probably never met a ghost before hand, until that day, leading me to conclude that this ghost probably didn't give Luke a second glance," Alfendi explained. The professor nodded, thinking about his logic.

"Of course, if this ghost was after the artifacts, and Luke had tried to protect them, then he would make himself known to the ghost and risk being taken," Hershal countered.

"Thus the 10.8 percentage of uncertainty. Ghosts are unpredictable, and sometimes, so is Luke," Alfendi pointed out. Flora smiled slightly at the thought of Luke being unpredictable. She didn't want to voice it, but that was very, very true.

Just then, the temperature dropped sharply by about ten degrees. Flora moved a little closer to the Professor, looking around, who grabbed Alfendi, pulling him into his side under his arm.

A pale, bald figure, clothed in black robes and with piercing red eyes, rose out of the ground, directly in front of them.

"P-P-Professor…?" Flora gasped, gripping the man's jacket and moving behind him. Layton adjusted his hat, keeping a grip on Alfendi, and studying the figure closer.

"Oh my…"

"The Band… I must… find the band…" he moaned.

"What band?" Professor Layton asked, remembering Luke mentioning the same thing when he last wrote the professor. The ghost scowled at them, raising a hand surrounded with a red glow.

"Be gone from my sight, humans!" he snapped. Layton grabbed both Flora and Alfendi and dove to the side, hearing the loud sound of a small hole being blasted from the sidewalk.

"Hey Spook!" a voice suddenly yelled. The trio looked up to see a muscular guy with messy black hair and sharp blue eyes running at the ghost. "Want someone to beat up on? Try me. I'm Going Ghost!" He jumped into the air, a ring of light flashing around his waist and splitting into two, one traveling up, the other down. His clothes changed to green armor over a black jump suite, his hair turned white, and his eyes shone with an eerie green light. Flora gasped.

"Danny Phantom!" she exclaimed. The ghost froze, watching the ghostly hero in front of him.

Danny's head cocked to the side as the band around his wrist flashed.

"Something's wrong," Professor Layton said, pulling his charges up as he himself stood.

"I… I must find… him…" Danny Phantom suddenly said, his voice hollow, as he turned to the group. The professor stiffened, Flora grabbed his jacket, and Alfendi's eyes narrowed.

Danny Phantom's eyes were red.

Without even throwing them a second glance, both ghost took off in different directions. Professor Layton waited a few moments before looking down at the two young faces watching him.

"So, Luke is missing, and now the international hero Danny Phantom is acting strangely, almost as though… hm…"

"'Hm…' is right, Father," Alfendi said, cupping his chin. "Something is most definitely wrong here."

"Yes, it is. We need a lead," he said. Flora, meanwhile, had wondered over to a news stand.

"Well," she began, picking up a newspaper and showing them the front page. "What about Danny Phantom's parents and the ghost experts of Amity Park?" she suggested.

"That sounds perfect, actually," Professor Layton said with a smile, paying for the paper and leading the way.

…

 **A/N:** A short chapter, I know. It was just set up though, with a little bit of suspense.

Who must Danny find? You'll see!


	5. The Woods

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter!

I've been trying to find a balance with Alfendi, since I know he was originally Potty, but I don't think he was as bad when he was younger.

I know he definitely didn't snap at Layton, haha.

Danny met Pearl in one of my previous stories, "The Phantom Turnabout," when the Fentons stayed in Kurain Village.

To be honest, I was going to have sections of what's going on with Luke, with a pretty long one in this chapter, but I decided to nix them for the sake of mystery.

Of course, if I had kept that segment, this chapter would be EVEN LONGER.

Well, here we go!

…

Chapter Five: The Woods

A soft groan escaped Danny as he forced his heavy eyelids open. Above him were nothing but trees with the night sky behind them.

His body felt heavy, and he was exhausted.

"Sagain…?" he slurred softly. This was the first time since last time he had went ghost, and again, his ectoenergy was depleted, and he couldn't remember a thing.

"Danny?" Suddenly, a head blocked out the sky above, and Danny had to blink a few times before he could focus on the face.

"Sam…?" he muttered. She reached down, grasping his hand, and pulled him up to a sitting position. "Whoa…" he gripped her as his head swam.

"What happened?" she asked, worried.

"I don't… know…" he sighed.

"Are you good?" Sam asked. Danny nodded, and she pulled him to a standing position, letting him lean against her and helping him out of the woods and to her motorcycle.

"There was… a ghost…" Danny said, trying to work his way through the events before he blacked out. Sam nodded, urging him to go on. "It was… attacking… tourists… I tried to… stop it, but…"

"But you can't remember what happened once you went ghost?" Sam asked, remembering last time. Danny simply nodded, letting her help him onto the back of her motorcycle. She got on the front, and they sped back to Fenton Works.

…

"I found him!" Sam announced as she opened the door, helping Danny in. Jack, Maddie, and four unexpected guests looked up.

"It's you," Danny said in surprise, recognizing the top hat anywhere. Professor Layton quickly stood, putting his tea on the coffee table, and came over, helping Sam with the weakened boy over to the couch.

"Your ectoenergy, again?" Maddie asked, coming over to her son. Danny nodded.

"Yeah. I… a ghost attacked them—" he motioned to the professor and his charges "—so I jumped in, turned ghost, and… that's all I remember."

"You started mumbling about how you 'must find him'," Alfendi said, before shrugging. "Whatever the hell that means."

"Now, Alfendi, a true gentleman never swears. Especially not in the presence of a lady," Hershel scolded. Alfendi just sighed and looked down, crossing his arms.

"Yes, Father."

"I don't remember that," Danny said, unconsciously rubbing his wrist where the band sat.

"Maybe… he meant Luke?" the fourth guest, Pearl Fey, said hopefully. Danny looked over somewhat surprised at her presence.

"Pearl?"

"Hello, Danny," she said softly, playing with her Magatama. "Maybe you meant Luke? I mean… with who you had to find," she suggested.

"I highly doubt that," Sam said, crossing her arms thoughtfully.

"Danny, where did you wake up?" Hershel asked, looking over at the boy curiously.

"Hm… the woods, right?" he said, looking up at Sam, who nodded.

"Then, perhaps we should look into these woods," the professor said.

"Not tonight you shouldn't," Maddie said, crossing her arms. "They're probably pitch black by now. Why don't you all stay here tonight, and start fresh in the morning?"

"Especially since I want to come with you," Danny said. Alfendi huffed impatiently, clearly wanting to get the investigation underway, but the professor say the logic in Maddie's suggestion.

"Are you sure it will be no trouble, Mrs. Fenton?" he asked.

"None at all. Our daughter is currently away at school doing summer classes, so the girls can take her room, while the boys can take the guest room."

"Sam and I will just crash here in my room if you don't mind, Mom," Danny said. Maddie looked at him with crossed arms.

"You better be staying here," she responded, before turning on her heel and heading up the stairs to get the room ready. Flora offered Pearl a weak smile, hoping to make her feel better. Pearl gave a tiny one back, continuing to play with her Magatama, her thoughts filled with worry for Luke.

…

The next morning, the Professor woke up to the smell of eggs, bacon, pancakes, and coffee. Alfendi, who had slept at the foot of the bed, curled into a ball, was still asleep, and he decided to let him rest a little longer.

After all, today looked like it would be an exciting day.

Carefully getting out of bed so as to not disturb his son, he quickly changed into this normal clothes, donned his ever present top-hat, and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Danny and Sam were already awake, Danny looking a lot better then last night, and talking to a person Professor Layton had yet to meet.

Tucker Folly looked up from the plate of eggs and bacon Mrs. Fenton hat placed in front of him when he heard the footsteps at the door.

"You must be Professor Layton," he said with a smile. The Professor tipped his hat.

"I see you have me at a disadvantage," he said.

"Oh! I'm Tucker," he said. The professor smiled at him with a nod before sitting.

"Coffee, Professor?" Maddie asked. The Professor's face fell slightly, having been hoping for tea.

"Ah, no thank you, Mrs. Fenton," he said.

"Don't worry, Professor. I'll make you some Earl Gray," Flora said from where she stood at the stove.

"Do we have tea bags?" Danny asked, surprised.

"I bought some with me," Flora said, holding up the box she had brought downstairs with her. "After all, the Professor is a huge tea connoisseur," she added with a giggle. The Professor chuckled at his own expense, watching as she worked.

"So, we're going to the woods today?" Tucker asked. The Professor looked over at the three young adults in time to see Danny nod.

"Yes. There might be clues there, not just to whatever has been happening to me, but also Luke's disappearance," he explained.

"How do you know of Luke?" The professor asked, remembering how he and Sam spoke as though they already knew about it last night. Danny sighed, looking over at him.

"I… met his father at the dig a few days ago. I went to ask about something that happened after a ghost fight there, and… Dr. Triton was a mess. He even dropped a bin full of old arrowheads," Danny explained. Hershel winced at the thought, feeling for his friend.

He had almost forgotten that Clark had been in Amity Park as well.

"When I asked why their tent was so empty, they told me that the artifacts they found disappeared, along with Luke, on the day of the ghost attack," Danny finished. He shook his head. "The police have come up with nothing, so in my spare time, I've been searching for clues as to his disappearance."

"And what have you come up with so far?" the Professor asked. Danny sighed, resting his head on his hand.

"Not much," he admitted. Then his head popped up, and he turned to his friend. "Tucker, can you hack the park's video cameras from that day?" he asked. Tucker rose an eyebrow at his friend.

"I think you mean 'will I,'" he said with a grin, whipping out his trusty PDA. The Professor watched in interest as Tucker's fingers flew across the buttons of the small device, until finally, he turned it to show the group.

On screen, the five archeologists were working in the same area, the two younger ones occasionally saying something to each other and laughing. All of a sudden, there was a flash of light, and they were blasted from that spot. Two of the older one's fell unconscious, and the ghost Danny fought that day appeared on screen. He seemed to be targeting Luke specifically. The three still conscious, however, didn't seem to notice and were trying to stop it, but they were blasted again. Professor Layton narrowed his eyes slightly, having seen another, softer light flash at Luke's chest. He was the only one to not fall unconscious from this blast, but he fell to his knees next to his father, trying to wake him up. Just then, Danny came onto the scene, fighting the ghost until he was thrown into the ground.

The ghost turned back Luke, who dove for something, hit the ground, and rolled onto his back, opening something that sucked the ghost in.

"A Fenton Thermos," Danny said. "I must have dropped it during the battle," he added sheepishly.

"Well, now we know what happened with your ghost," Sam said.

"Question is, where is the thermos now?" Tucker added.

"And why was the ghost attacking Luke?" the Professor added.

They continued to watch as Luke dragged/carried the others back to the tent. He was gone for a bit before coming out, searching for something.

Suddenly, the video crackled and froze.

"Huh?" Tucker said, pulling it back and checking his PDA. "It's not this. It must be the camera there…"

"Find a different one," Sam suggested. Tucker went through all of the cameras that looked onto the dig, but each froze around that point.

Finally, one jumped forward to where it was already dark. Clark rushed out of the tent, looking around frantically. Gregory followed him, looking almost as upset, and placed a hand on the first man's shoulder, drawing him back into the tent.

"They must have realized Luke was missing then," the Professor sighed, his heart twisting at seeing the pain in one of his closest friend's eyes.

"I was correct when I said it had nothing to do with the ghost," Alfendi said from behind, having come up in time to see Luke capture it. The professor jumped, looking over his shoulder at his son.

"Correct," he said, before looking forward at everyone again. "I would actually like to start the investigation at the dig before we enter the woods," he said. Danny nodded in understanding.

"Right. After all, that's where this all started, right?"

"Right."

…

Once everyone woke up and ate breakfast, they began their investigation. This time, it was the Professor, Flora, Alfendi, Danny, Same, Tucker, and Pearl. Long gone were the days where the Professor would leave his adopted daughter behind, and Alfendi and Pearl refused to be left behind as well.

The group went to the park first, where Eric, Loudon, Greg, and Clark were already working. One glance told the professor just how distracted his friend was. He glanced back at the group.

"Stay here."

"But Professor—"

"I shall be right back," he said, gently cutting Flora off. He then ducked under the rope, holding the brim of his hat to keep it in place, and walked over to the other archeologists.

Gregory was the first to notice him.

"Professor Layton!" he called, waving. Clark quickly looked up, a look that was almost like relief crossing his face.

"Hershel!" he cried, abandoning his spot and walking swiftly over to him, grabbing both of his hands. "It is so good to see you again, my old friend," he said. The professor nodded with a small smile of his own.

"The feeling is mutual, Clark. I simply wish it were under better circumstances," he sighed. Clark's face fell, and he nodded.

"Of course." He looked back up at Layton. "But you're here to find him… right?" he asked apprehensively. Hershel's smile grew, and he nodded.

"Of course. After all," he started, putting a hand to the brim of his hat and closing his eyes. "A true gentleman never abandons a friend in need."

"Thank you, Hershel. You don't know how better I already feel hearing you say that," Clark said, his shoulders slumping slightly in relief. The professor smiled and patted his shoulder.

"To that end… was Luke acting strangely since you have arrived?" the professor asked. Clark crossed his arms in thought, tipping his head to the side.

"Well… in his free time, he tended to go off on his own to explore Amity. I thought nothing of it, considering Luke's always been curious, especially considering the reputation this town has…" Clark explained, dropping his arms and putting a hand in his pocket. "We weren't here very long before… well, you know…" he finished. Professor Layton nodded, considering this information.

"Luke has always been curious…" he muttered.

"But?" Clark asked, sensing it.

"But I'm not sure that was his only motivation for going off on his own." He sighed. "Clark, did he tell you about his discovery?"

"Discovery? No… what discovery?" Clark asked.

"Luke wrote me the night you all arrived here. Apparently, he had discovered a Venrin artifact. A band, covered in the ruin for spirits," the professor explained. "I believe he was looking into this."

"What? But we didn't start our own digging until the next day," Clark replied, looking confused. Eric, on the other hand, stared at the professor, his eyes wide.

"Did he go off on his own that day?"

"Why… yes. Right after dinner. He said he wanted to explore," Clark said with a sigh. "Do you think he came to the dig instead?"

"It would seem that way," Layton answered.

"Damn it, Luke. What did you get yourself into?" Clark scowled at the ground, then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Hershel, but that's all I know."

"That's fine. We are going to go investigate another lead."

"Professor," Loudon said, gaining Layton's attention. "Do you think this has to do with the Venrin?"

"It… might. I am unsure at the moment," Hershel admitted. Loudon nodded in understanding, and the Professor made his way back over to the group, leading them away.

"Luke never told any of them about his discovery of the Venrin Spirit Band," he said.

"The 'Venrin Spirit Band'?" Danny asked, looking at the band around his wrist.

"Yes. A band that Luke wrote us about. He discovered it the night they arrived. Apparently, he had come back in secret," Professor Layton explained.

"That… would be my fault," a voice said from behind, killing the 'Idiot' that was forming on Alfendi's lips. The group turned to find Eric standing behind them.

"What do you mean, my boy?" Hershel asked.

"At dinner… I might have been bragging about my own discoveries. You know how competitive we always were, Professor. It must have sparked something in him," Eric explained. Flora scowled at the boy, crossing her arms and turning away.

"And now he's missing," Alfendi said thoughtfully, looking down, his arms crossed.

"I never meant for something like this to happen," Eric said, before looking at Professor Layton. "Please, let me join the investigation. Please." He pleaded. The professor studied the man in front of him for a moment before nodding.

"Alright. You may join us."

"Great, another idiot to get in the way," Alfendi mumbled.

"Be nice," Flora hissed, elbowing him. Alfendi scowled at her, rubbing his arm where her elbow had hit, but didn't say anything.

The group of eight made their way to the woods on the edge of Amity Park, searching around for any clues that would lead them to their missing friend.

Tucker, seeing his chance while the professor was distracted, moved closer to Flora.

"I don't think I've had a chance to properly introduce myself," he said to the older woman, gaining her attention. "I'm Tucker, Tucker Folly. That's TF as in 'Too Fine,'" he said with a smirk, winking at her. Flora, surprised, couldn't think of a proper response, those she did catch Eric scowling at the back of Tucker's head.

Flora didn't have to think long though, before Alfendi responded for her.

"Keep talking to her like that, and I'll cut out your idiotic tongue and feed it to you," he growled, his scarlet hair falling into his flashing, amber eyes. Tucker's eyes widened as he looked at the teen, sensing that he was deadly serious.

"Guys! I think I found something!" Sam called from a few feet away. The group rushed over to her, and she pulled back the bushes.

Beyond looked like an abandoned camp site. A blanket sat next to a ring of rocks. The professor stepped into the camp site and looked around for any other sign of inhabitance.

"These ashes are cold," Eric said, kneeling next to the fire ring.

"There are multiple foot prints here," Hershel said, motioning to the edge of the campsite. "And they're deep. Whoever was here, they left in a hurry. Not only did they leave their blanket, but the deeper prints mean they were running," he explained.

"But do we know who it was?" Danny asked, looking around.

"Luke," Eric said, studying the blanket.

"How do you know?" Pearl asked.

"This blanket went missing from our supplies the same night Luke did," he explained, picking it up.

"If that's true… that means Luke left on his own," Alfendi said.

"Perhaps he felt he didn't have a choice?" Hershel suggested, cupping his chin. "After all, these footsteps show that he was clearly being pursued."

"We should follow them," Sam said. The suggestion was met with nods, and the group began to follow.

"He wasn't being chased by a ghost," Danny said after a while. "A ghost wouldn't have left tracks. They would have flown after him," he explained. Professor Layton nodded.

"I was thinking the same. That means his pursuers were human," he said.

The group followed the tracks for a while longer until finally, the trail came down to one just one set of shallow footsteps, and Alfendi noticed something near the tracks.

"Father," he called, stooping down and picking it up. Between his fingers was an old, stone coin with ruins on it. The others came over, and Eric carefully took it, studying the ruin.

"This is Venrin currency," he explained. "We hadn't found this, though…" he said, before noticing a strand of blue thread stuck to it.

"I believe Luke did," Hershel said, also spotting the thread. "He must have dropped it while he was running though."

"Makes sense," Danny said thoughtfully.

"I… don't think that's all he dropped," Flora said, pulling the branches of a bush. Behind them sat Luke's duffle bag. Professor Layton knelt beside the bag and unzipped it. Eric, who had been watching over his shoulder, gasped.

"Those are the artifacts we found! And our maps… our books… Everything!" he said.

"Luke took them all?" Flora asked.

"It would seem that way…" Layton hummed, cupping his chin in thought.

"This is very unlike him though," Pearl said, her hands clasped over her Magatama, the twin to the one she gave Luke.

"There seems to be something deeper going on here," Hershel said thoughtfully. Eric nodded in agreement, zipped the bag back up, and swung it over his shoulder.

"Should we continue forward?" Danny asked, rubbing the band on his wrist thoughtfully.

"Yes," Layton said, leading the way. The other's exchanged glances before following him.

They soon found a second camp, although it was little more then a fire pit.

"Luke again?" Tucker asked.

"It looks like it," Pearl said with a sigh, gripping her Magatama.

"I don't see any footprints this time," Danny said.

"But these ashes are still warm, which means he's close," Eric explained, his voice full of excitement. Professor Layton looked around, trying to determine which way his former apprentice would have went.

"Over here!" Sam called, pointing to some trampled vegetation. The group searched around for a while until they came to the outskirts of a clearing.

The clearing was swamped by men in white suites, studying a large monument-like stone and the area around it with strange devices.

Danny gasped, just as multiple devices went off in the clearing.

"The Guys in White?" Tucker asked, tipping his head to the side in confusion.

"Danny Phantom!" Operative K said, pulling the bushes back and spotting the group. Danny stood up straight, a scowl crossing his face.

Since his secret came out, the Guys in White hounded him for a few years, then ignored him.

Now, however, they were swarming around an artifact that seemed to be the last known location of a missing archeologist.

Something fishy was going on here.

"What's going on?" Danny demanded, crossing his arms. Operative K went to say something when O, who had come up to his shoulder, grabbed his arm.

"Look. His wrist," he said. K's eyes dropped from Danny's and found what O had pointed out.

The band gleamed in the sunlight that filtered through the trees.

"Danny Phantom, you are under arrest," O suddenly said.

"Excuse me!?" Danny demanded.

"Wait, what!?" Sam asked. Hershel, however, narrowed his eyes, looking between Danny, the band, and the Guys in White. Like Danny, he felt something was off here.

Both men moved towards the Halfa, one pulling out an ecto pistol, the other a pair of glowing handcuffs. Danny quickly backed up, making it impossible for either to get behind him.

"May I ask for what he is being arrested for?" Professor Layton asked, adjusting his hat.

"For stealing Venrin artifacts," Operative O said. Danny glanced at his wrist and frowned before looking back up at the men.

"You're ghost hunters. These artifacts should mean nothing to you!" he said. Neither man answered, but continued to advance on the world-renowned hero. Not seeing another choice, Danny turned ghost to fend them off.

He froze, his body going rigid. He tipped his head to the side, as though listening to something audible to only him.

"It's happening again," Alfendi said. Danny glanced back at him, his eyes flashing red, before suddenly shooting into the air and towards the park. Sam and Tucker exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking. The last time they saw their friend like that, Freakshow had control over him.

"The dig!" Eric gasped, pouring on the speed. The others followed, including a few of the Guys in White Operatives.

The last thing Clark, Loudon, and Greg expected was for Danny Phantom to attack the dig, meaning they were taken very off guard. Danny flew straight at the dirt, digging deeper into it with his ectoblasts and ignoring the archeologists.

Operative K scowled, aiming a large ectonet launcher at Danny and shooting it. The net wrapped around the ghost boy, bringing him to the ground. He didn't stay trapped long, using brute strength to break out of it.

"Hershel!?" Clark called when noticing his old friend. He ran over, bringing the other two with him. "What's going on?"

"Something is wrong with Danny. It is… almost like he is not in control of his own actions," Layton explained, watching the battle. The Guys in White were clearly at a disadvantage as Danny out powered and out maneuvered them.

Danny's eyes glowed blue, as did his hands, and he shot ice spikes at the Guy's in White. They managed to dodge the spikes and retaliated with their own guns.

A few shots hit Danny, but he didn't even seem to feel them. Instead, he dove right at them.

That's when Sam got an idea.

"Tucker, you have the Specter Deflector, right?"

"Of course," he said, pulling his shirt up to show it. Sam smirked, reaching over and yanking it off. "Good."

"Whoa! Hey!" Tucker yelped, surprised. Sam ran over to where Danny was still close to the ground, and tackled him away from the Guys in White, clasping the Specter Deflector around his waist.

With a gasp, Danny shuddered. A ring appeared around his waste before splitting into two, one going up, the other down. After only a few seconds, Danny Fenton laid under Sam. He groaned, putting a hand to his head.

"Wha…?"

"Flank him!" the Guys in White yelled. Before the rest of the group could move to help the ghost boy, a large silver and green RV flew into the park, over their heads. Eric threw his arms around Flora, protecting her head.

"Get away from our son, you government goons!" Jack's voice boomed from the RV. A few guns popped up from the RV and began shooting at the two Operatives, forcing them to back off and go back to where they came from. Sam looked down at Danny.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Ow…" he mumbled, putting a hand over one of the spots on his chest that the ectoshots hit. "What happened?"

"You went ghost, attacked the dig, and battled the Guys in White until I got the Specter Deflector on you. You don't remember any of that?"

"No… not at all."

…

 **A/N:** Longest chapter ever. This took WAY too long to write, and I'm not even entirely sure it'll be the longest (4,000+, by the way).

What is Luke up to, by the way?

Maybe we'll find out next time, hehe.


	6. The Guys in White

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter!

SPOILERS FOR THE END OF AZRAN LEGACY NEAR THE END! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

…

Chapter Six: The Guys in White

If there was one invention of his parents' that Danny truly hated, it was the Specter Deflector. Sure it had its uses, and of course, he's been on the wrong end of some of their other inventions, but the Specter Deflector made his skin crawl when he had to wear it.

That's why, as soon as they returned to Fenton Works, he ripped it off and shoved it back at Tucker. Sam chuckled at that, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"You know I only did that to help you," she said. Danny sighed softly, but smiled, resting back against her.

"Yes, I know. Doesn't mean I like it anymore then normal," he replied, causing Sam to laugh again. Hershel came over to the couple.

"I apologize for intruding, but… may I see that band around your wrist?" he asked. Danny looked up, mildly surprised.

"Sure," he said, holding his left arm out. The professor studied it closely.

Meanwhile Pearl wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes welling with tears. Flora was no better.

"Those men… what if they took Luke?" Pearl suddenly asked. Everyone fell quiet, looking up at her. Flora squeezed her eyes shut.

"They seemed quite powerful. What if they… 'arrested' him?" Flora added. Without even thinking, Eric stood and walked over to Flora, wrapping his arms around her. Flora, not even realizing who it was, buried her face into his chest, her shoulders shaking.

"I am 97.5 percent sure the Guys in White didn't take Luke," Alfendi said, looking between the girls.

"There's still that 2.5 percent!" Flora whimpered into Eric's chest. Pearl on the other hand, looked closer at Alfendi.

"Why?"

"Think about it. Those artifacts were found in _Luke's_ duffle bag, and we found two camps of his. Not only that, but those footprints showed that they were pursuing him, and he managed to get away. Finally, when we ourselves met the Guys in White, they seemed lost. If they had Luke, they could have just made him solve the puzzles and let them move forward."

"Alfendi is correct," Hershel said, gaining the attention of everyone. "Although," he cupped his chin, "I get the feeling that is not the last we will see of the Guys in White. Danny," he turned to the ghost boy, "you seem to know much of these men. Who are the Guys in White?"

"Well, they are part of a not-so-secret government organization whose goal is to eliminate all ghosts and other paranormal beings on Earth. For a while, they seemed focused on mainly capturing me, but recently, they've left me alone and focused on the actual evil ghosts. What they're doing now… it seems so off base, it's not even funny," Danny concluded, crossing his arms thoughtfully.

By this point, Flora had calmed down enough that she noticed who she was buried into, and gently pushed Eric away. Eric sighed softly, before looking over at Danny. He walked over.

"May I?" he asked, pointing at Danny's wrist. He unfolded his arms and let Eric study the band as well. Professor Layton looked thoughtful, musing over the puzzle presented to him.

"Well, it might not be too off base," he admitted, looking up at Danny. "These are Venrin artifacts, who had deep connections to the Spiritual World. If their goal is to eliminate paranormal beings, then perhaps they wish to destroy these artifacts," he reasoned, although he himself didn't sound too sure. Both Flora and Alfendi picked up on this, but neither said anything.

"Maybe," Danny said, not sounding sure himself.

"This is a Venrin Spirit Band," Eric said, suddenly drawing everyone's attention to himself. "If my hunch is correct, then this is the source of your odd behavior and black outs when you go ghost," he said. Danny looked at his wrist thoughtfully.

"So… until this thing is removed… I shouldn't go ghost?"

"Exactly."

"Well, at least you know how to use our ghost hunting equipment," Maddie said, having come back upstairs, carrying an armful of their inventions. Danny chuckled at that.

"Yeah, at least there's that."

Eric stood, walking over to Luke's bag, and digging through it, pulling out his tablet. He then searched a little long before sitting back on his heels.

"Huh."

"What is it?" Hershel asked.

"The ruins dictionary. It's still missing," he said, looking up. Layton nodded, standing.

"Perhaps Luke still has it with him. Either way, I believe it is time for a little deeper research. The library should suffice," he said.

"I'll come," Flora said.

"Same here," from Alfendi.

"And I'll show the way," Eric said, tucking the tablet beneath his arm and leading the way out. Danny and Sam exchanged glances with Tucker, who nodded. All three then stood, took weapons from Maddie's stash, and headed out, leaving Pearl behind.

…

At the library, Eric managed to find another translation book between the Venrin ruins and English. He then sat at one of the tables, dictionary, tablet, and a notebook in front of him as he got to work on deciphering the tablet once more.

Professor Layton, Alfendi, and Flora, on the other hand, looked into as much as they could on the history of the area, such as the Native Americans, Artie Digger's essays, and the founding of Amity Park.

It was in Digger's essays, the most recent, in fact, that the professor found the most interesting piece of information.

' _The Venrin were a lot like humans in their physicality and intelligence, but they lived a lot closer to the barrier between the living and spiritual world. They were able to commune with the world beyond, and could even travel between the two worlds._

 _The Venrin built devices to control ghosts. One example, which was sadly lost, was the Crystal Ball Staff owned by Circus Gothica's ringmaster, Frederich "Freakshow" Isak Showenhower. I believe Showenhower was descended from the Venrin, which would explain why the Crystal Ball was a family heirloom._

 _Danny Fenton/Phantom and Vlad Masters/Plasmius were not the only half-ghosts to have ever existed. In the days of the Venrin, there were beings known as Halflings – half ghost, half Venrin. They were important to the Venrin Society, but I am unable to determine why.'_

"Hm… interesting…" Professor Layton hummed.

…

Danny, Sam, and Tucker sat in Tucker's home office, watching as the techno-geek's hands flew across his keyboard.

"This is ridiculously easy, guys. I hope you know that," Tucker muttered. Sam shook her head, while Danny chuckled.

"Alright." Tucker turned to the other two. "All I have to do now is hit enter, and we'll be in. Are we sure about this?" he asked, looking at the other two.

Danny hesitated before nodding. "Yes. We have to do this. It's the only way we can figure out what the Guys in White are truly after."

"Sam?"

"Yes."

"Alright." Tucker turned back to his computer and smacked the enter button. A window instantly popped up, and all three leaned forward, while Tucker navigated to the area most of the information.

"Whoa…" Danny gasped as his eyes roamed over the information.

"So, wait, the Ghost Hunting is just a front?" Sam asked, leaning back once she was done reading, crossing her arms. "I wonder if the government even knows about this…"

"Well, look," Tucker said, pointing to another spot. "They're studying the Venrin, in an effort to control ghosts…"

All three turned pale at the next part.

"They want to find a weapon to destroy the Ghost Zone…" Danny breathed. Sam shook her head.

"Wait a minute! They've tried this, remember?" Sam said, bringing the three back down to earth. "They bought Fenton Works and were going to send that missile into the Ghost Zone."

"Skulker, Johnny 13, Youngblood, and I stopped them by lodging that bolder into the portal, remember? They didn't listen when we tried to tell them that it would destroy Earth as well as the Ghost Zone," Danny said.

"Oh, they know it now," Tucker said, having continued to read while the other two talked. "That's why they decided to use a _Venrin_ weapon. It won't destroy the Ghost Zone itself, just _every ghost inside of it_."

"Well—" Danny got cut off by a loud bang, causing the trio to turn and look towards the front door.

 _BANG!_

"What is that!?" Tucker asked, getting up.

 _ **BA-CRASH!**_

The door flew inwards, clinging on by only one hinge. In the doorway stood two Guys in White agents.

"Oh, come on! How am I going to explain that to my landlord!?" Tucker cried, motioning towards the door.

"FREEZE! You're under arrest for hacking our computers and stealing Venrin artifacts!" the one announced. Danny growled, crouching down.

"I'm Going Gho—" he started, the familiar ring appearing around his waist. Sam grabbed his arm roughly, distracting him and making the ring vanish.

"No, Danny! Let me handle this," she said, pulling a silver and green quarter staff from her back pocket and letting it expand to full length.

"Wait, isn't that your mom's?" Tucker asked Danny quietly, who shrugged. Sam dove forward, twirling the staff expertly. She ducked and weaved their attacks, keeping both fully engaged in battle. It was clear Maddie had trained her.

Finally, she planted her combat boot in the stomach of one before kicking him in the head. She then twirled the staff, bringing it down hard on the second man's head. Both men slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Man, that's hot," Danny breathed, staring at his girlfriend.

…

Layton, Flora, Alfendi, and Eric walked back to Fenton Works, their thoughts full of the information they found out.

"Professor… do you think that band has something to do with the Halflings?" Flora asked.

"The band around Danny's wrist, and the one Luke found?" he asked, looking over her in time to see her nod. "I think it might. Perhaps that's why Danny—"

"FREEZE!" a voice yelled, and suddenly, they were surrounded by Guys in White.

"P-Professor?" Flora gasped, looking around at the men. The professor, however, was studying the men around them.

"May I help you, Gentlemen?" he asked.

"You four are under arrest as accomplices to Danny Phantom!" the one announced. Hershel sighed, having guessed that to be the case, and bent down, picking up a sturdy, slightly heavy stick. Seeing this, Flora quickly moved over to Alfendi. Eric placed himself close to those two, bringing his fists up in front of his face in a defensive posture.

"Resisting arrest, eh?" one asked, before lurching forward towards the professor.

Layton lightly jumped back, avoiding the attack, and bought the stick down in a overhead strike, right on the man's shoulder. He howled in pain and dropped to the cement, and Professor Layton turned to face the rest of the Guys in White, one hand holding his hat, the other holding the stick defensively in front of him, like a sword.

Seeing their companion fall did nothing to daunt the Guys in White, however, and they all rushed towards the group. Layton continued to hold them off using his stick, while Eric took on a few using his fists.

Alfendi pulled out the Ectopistol he had taken from Maddie's stash while no one was looking, and checked the safety on it, making sure it would be ready. He had never shot an ectogun before, but he knew the basic principle was the same as a real gun.

That theory was put to the test when Flora was suddenly grabbed by one of the men.

"Flora, duck!" he yelled. Flora did without a second thought, only to flinch at the bang that sounded similar to a gunshot. The man holding her cried out in pain, lurching backwards and grabbing his shoulder, green smoke snaking it's way between his fingers. Hershel quickly took down the guy he was facing and whirled around towards the source of the sound.

Alfendi's eyes were huge, his hand shaking slightly, as he stared at the guy he just shot. He understood that these weren't nearly as dangerous to humans as real guns, but it still shook him to see how much he had actually _hurt_ someone else, despite all of his talk. His eyes grew blank as his mind flashed back to—

Hershel wrapped the boy tightly and securely in his arms, trusting Eric to take out the rest of the Guys in White.

"Alfendi. Alfendi, my boy, it's okay. You're safe," the professor murmured next to his ear. Alfendi blinked a few time, life re-entering his eyes. He dropped his arm to his side, loosely holding the gun, and tried to stop his trembling through sheer force of will alone.

"I'm okay, F-Father," he muttered, tripping over the word. The Professor leaned back slightly, studying his son, before nodding and looking around. Eric had, indeed, taken care of the rest of the Guys in White. "Come now, we must return to Fenton Works." With that, he carefully took the gun from the boy and lead the three swiftly down the road and to the large building, his arm tight around Alfendi.

Upon entering the house, however, they found that it appeared abandoned.

"Oh, dear…" the Professor sighed, looking around at the empty house.

"Now what, Professor?" Flora asked, looking around as she walked forward. As she stepped onto a circular rug, a tube suddenly dropped from the ceiling, trapping her, and sucking her upwards. She squealed in fear.

"Professor!" she cried as she disappeared.

"Flora!" the three men yelled, running towards that spot as the tube receded towards the ceiling. As soon as their feet hit that rug, the tube dropped once more, sucking the three of them upward as well. They landed in a heap on the ground, the professor's hat askew and blocking his vision. He quickly fixed it and looked up and around, before relaxing. They were in a high-tech looking room, with the Fenton's, Pearl, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and even Flora looking down at them. With a weak chuckle, he detangled himself from Alfendi and Eric and pulled himself to his feet.

"Well now, that was exciting," he said, brushing himself off, before checking on his son. Alfendi pulled himself to his feet, brushing his red and blue stripped sweater off. He felt Hershel's eyes on him and looked up.

"What?" he asked. Hershel smiled, mussing his scarlet hair. "Nothing." He turned his attention to everyone else. "I am glad to see everyone safe," he said.

"Were you attacked by the Guys in White too?" Danny asked, earning a nod from the professor.

"Indeed." He crossed his arms, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "They seem to be growing bolder. I believe they do more then just… hunt ghosts," he said.

"Yeah, the ghost hunting is just a front," Danny said, sitting on a counter. Maddie gave him a look that only a mother could muster, and he immediately slid back down to stand in front of it, causing Alfendi to snort.

"Oh? Do tell," the professor asked. For the next two hours, the two groups exchanged the results of their individual investigations.

"I believe it is time to return to the last known place of Luke," the professor suddenly announced, causing everyone to look at him.

"That Venrin monument in the woods?" Sam asked.

"Indeed."

"But Father, the Guys in White were swarming all over it the last time we were there," Alfendi pointed out.

"Yes, but I believe they are now scattered around Amity Park in search for us," the professor countered.

"You're probably right. If anything, there will be only a small amount of Guys in White there. Nothing we can't handle," Danny said with a grin. The others nodded in agreement, and prepared. Hershel turned to Alfendi, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Alfendi, my boy. I am going to ask that you remain here."

"No."

"But—"

"I'm okay now, Father. What happened earlier… it won't happen again. Promise," he said. Hershel studied his son, fighting an internal battle. Alfendi gave him a bored look.

"If you leave me behind, I will follow," he warned. The professor sighed, shaking his head with a small smile.

"So stubborn," he muttered, giving his shoulder a squeeze. He then turned to the others. "Ready whenever you are."

…

Danny, Sam, Tucker, Layton, Alfendi, Flora, Eric, and Pearl made their way through the woods, quickly finding the stone again. As Danny had predicted, there were only two Guys in White guarding the stone. Sam easily snuck closer and knocked their heads together, knocking them out. The rest of the group moved closer to the stone.

"Why, it's a puzzle," the professor said softly.

"Of course," Eric said with a smile, studying the Venrin Stone.

"Hm… there are nine ruins here at the bottom, and a nine-by-nine grid," Hershel mused. "Most of the squares have ruins that match some of these at the bottom…"

"You know," from Flora, "it kind of looks like a Sudoku puzzle, doesn't it?"

"Of course!" Eric gasped, running his fingers over the ruins in the grid. "These are _numbers_. Perhaps the origin of Sudoku puzzles are a lot older then we thought."

"And in that case, we don't even need to know what each ruin means," the professor said with a smile. "So long as no ruin repeats within a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, or within these three-by-three squares."

With this epiphany, the professor quickly got to work and finally cracked it. The stone moved backwards to reveal a hole in the ground and a flight of steps.

Just inside was an old, beat up notebook. The professor spotted it and picked it up first.

"Luke's journal," he announced. He quickly flipped through it, finding the last entry, and read out loud.

"' _To my dear, old friend,_

 _I might have made the biggest archeology discovery of the decade. The Venrin Spirit Band. The ruins inside of it reads that it was placed on 'halflings' (half-ghosts?) as babies, and the band would force them into bond-slavery to the Venrin._

 _However, I am afraid I can never share this with the world. The Guys in White, whoever they are, came to the dig while the others were unconscious from a ghost attack. They demanded answers, and I knew they didn't believe me when I said we were simply researching the Native Americans._

 _To be frank, they reminded me of Targent. I fear they may come after me or my friends now._

 _That is why I decided I would take all of the Venrin artifacts, and vanish. I'm sorry, Eric. I'm sorry Professor Shiner. I know you've dedicated your lives to this, but it'll be safer this way._

 _I'm sorry, Mum, Dad, Dr. Kingston, Professor, Flora, Alfendi… Pearl._

 _I will not let happen to my loved ones what happened to Professor Layton's and Professor Sycamore's birth family._

 _Luke.'"_

"He left on his own…" Eric mumbled. Professor Layton, however, sat heavily on one of the steps, re-reading the last paragraph over and over again.

 _I will not let happen to my loved ones what happened to Professor Layton's and Professor Sycamore's birth family._

"It didn't work though. He didn't move fast enough," Danny said. "They found him and chased him down."

 _I will not let happen to my loved ones what happened to Professor Layton's and Professor Sycamore's birth family._

"He even lost all of the artifacts he was trying to protect," Flora added softly.

 _I will not let happen to my loved ones what happened to Professor Layton's and Professor Sycamore's birth family._

Pearl clenched her hands into fists, visibly shaking all over from anger and sadness. "That… that jerk! When we find him, I'm going to… I'm gonna..." Tears streamed down her face, and Hershel was finally able to pull himself from his own swirling thoughts and emotions. He stood, snapping the journal closed, and walked over, putting his hands on Pearl's shoulders.

"Luke was just doing what he thought right," he said. Pearl looked up at the professor, only to find his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat.

"Father…" Alfendi started hesitantly.

"Yes?" Hershel asked, though he knew what was coming.

"What did Luke mean by… 'what happened to Professor Layton's and Professor Sycamore's birth family'?" he asked. Hershel sighed, pulling a flashlight from his bag and beginning to lead the way down the steps.

"My parents were archeologist who were very advanced in the study of the Azran," he started. "My birth parents, Leon and Rachel Bronev. My birth name was Theodore Bronev, and my older brother, Hershel Bronev," he began. The others listened in silence. "While my brother and I were still young, a militant group of the name Targent kidnapped Leon and Rachel, leaving myself and my brother as orphans. In order for me to be happy, my brother gave me his name and allowed me to be adopted by the Laytons; thus I became Hershel Layton. I am sorry to say, I didn't remember any of this until months after I met my brother again. By then, everything had changed. Rachel had died while in captivity, and Leon's obsession with the Azran lead him to become the leader of Targent." The professor took a deep breath. "I met my brother once more in Misthallary, when Luke and I began working together, only this time, he was going by the name of Jean Descole, and he too, was searching for the remnants of the Azran. I don't know if he knew, at that time, that I was his brother, but he attempted to kill me a few times." The professor shook his head. "He then went by another name, Desmond Sycamore, and we worked together. When we finally did find the Azran Legacy, my brother…" Hershel trailed off as he reached the bottom of the steps and looked around. He then took a deep breath and looked back at his wide eyed listeners.

"Let's just say that if these Guys in White reminded Luke of Targent, then he had a very good reason for doing what he did."

…

 **A/N:** And the end of another chapter! The ending is supposed to be emotional for the professor, because even though he seems to brush it off in the game, I feel it still effected him emotionally. After all, although he has the Laytons, that's another set of family that the good professor never truly got to know.

Especially since Sycamore/Descole made it seem as though he died at the end of Azran Legacy (even if the players know he didn't).

Oh Luke, you noble soul you. Now Hershel, Pearl, and Flora can't scold you for running off!

With Alfendi's moment and the gun, that'll be explained in my next tale, "Professor Layton and the Seer."

There was something else I was going to say... but I forget now...


	7. The Venrin Band

**A/N:** Okay, this would have been updated last night, but I had work at seven in the morning today, so I had to hit the hay.

I also had to rework the beginning of this chapter when looking at my outline, so…

First though, a reply to a Guest Review! Believe me, in this chapter, things get a WHOLE lot worse for Danny. And once I get rolling with a story, I don't like to stop! Hopefully I can finish this story tonight, hehe.

Also: Question: Do you, my faithful readers, want bonus chapter's of what was happening with Luke during all of this? Just because I took out his parts in each chapter doesn't mean I don't still have them outlined. Let me know, before I start my next tale!

Well, I don't think I have anything else to say. Here we go!

…

Chapter Seven: The Venrin Lord

Professor Layton and the group looked around the vast room they entered. Spread before them, criss-crossing the vast room, were narrow walkways made of old stone spreading in every direction. Professor Layton walked to the edge of the walkway he was on and pointed his flashlight down. Inky darkness spread before him, swallowing the light of his flashlight.

"I hope everything is still stable in here. That's a long way down," said Eric, who had walked over and stood next to the professor. The man nodded and backed away from the edge, looking both ways as he tried to decide which way he should go.

"Father, look!" Alfendi called from where he was crouched at an intersection of walkways. Hershel walked over, studying it.

"Hm… the Roman numeral for twelve," the Professor hummed. He then looked towards a different direction, inspecting the walkways and spotting the set of symbols for eight.

"What do they mean, Professor?" Eric asked. The professor closed his eyes in thought, cupping his chin.

"There has to be a clue somewhere. We have a choice between these two numbers. The question is, how do we know which is the correct one?" he mused. The group looked around, searching for some kind of hint.

"There!" Pearl said, pointing to something etched into one of the walls. The professor looked closer at it.

VI * II

"Six times two?" Alfendi asked, stroking his chin.

"That equals twelve," Sam answered.

"So… do we pick that pathway?" Pearl asked, and everyone in the group turned to look at the Professor, who cupped his chin in thought.

"That would make sense," he said, dropping his hand and turning down that walkway. The rest of the group followed closely.

Every time the walkway branched off, there was a set of Roman numerals. The group ignored most, searching only for those that stood for twelve. When it showed up, they turned that way.

"This place in confusing…" Tucker mused.

"Um… how are we supposed to get out of here?" Flora asked. The professor chuckled.

"That, my dear, is a bridge we will have to cross when we get there. For now, I believe we have found the exit," he said, motioning with his flashlight. The others looked forward to see the wall they were drawing closer to, a rough arch cut out of it with darkness beyond.

The arch entered into a short hallway, with a door that looked like it was blown up at the end.

Beyond the rubble, flashlight beams could be seen and voices could be heard. The group moved cautiously forward, and Professor Layton peaked in.

The first thing he saw was Luke.

His clothes and face were dirty and ripped, his hair was a mess under that blue cap, and his hands seemed to be handcuffed behind his back. However, his seemed unharmed, which made the professor's heart soar with relief. He was watching something closely, his eyes narrowed in anger. The professor had to peek out slightly in order to follow his gaze, and saw group of Guys in White near a sarcophagus.

 _Beep –beep –beep – beep_

"What's that!?" one of the men asked.

"The Ecto Detector. Quick, check the entrance to the room!" another said. Before the group could react, they were surrounded by Guys in White. Luke's eyes widened when he recognized Danny.

"Danny, run!" he yelled, gaining everyone's attention.

"What!?" Danny gasped.

"RUN!"

Startled by the intensity, Danny quickly backed away, before turning. He didn't make it far, however. One of the Guys in White grabbed him.

"Hey! Let me go!" Danny yelled, kicking at the man. He knew now would be the worst time for him to go ghost and loose control.

"Quick, get that thing on him!"

"But we don't know what it does!"

"One way to find out! And who better then Danny Phantom?"

One of the Guys in White produced a silver band, much like the spirit one Danny was already wearing, and clasped it around the young halfa's right wrist. As it closed, Eric was able to read the gold ruins on it.

"'Human'?" he asked.

"No…" Luke gasped. The professor quickly looked over at his former apprentice, shocked by the fear in his eyes.

Danny stopped struggling, his eyes closed, his breath slightly jagged. The Guys in White glanced at each other, unsure of what to make of this development.

"Danny…?" Sam asked.

"That's no longer Danny," Luke said, starring at the boy. "That's the Venrin leader, simply called 'The Lord.' The Lord's spirit was tied to the band they put on Danny, and that spirit took over his body…"

Danny's eyes snapped open, the familiar blue replaced with a piercing gold. He looked first at his hands, then at his surroundings.

"Much has changed," he muttered, his voice sounding like two; one Danny's, one much deeper.

"My Lord," one of the Guys in White said, bowing his head to the possessed teenager. I am Operative G. It was us, the Guys in White, who bought you back. We require your knowledge on your weapons in order to save our world," he said. The Lord quirked an eyebrow at the man who was speaking.

"Don't listen to him," the professor said, and The Lord turned to face him.

"Why not?"

"They do not wish to save the world, but to destroy the Ghost Zone," Layton explained. The Lord crossed his arms in thought.

"Do they now?" he asked, casting a disinterested eye over the Guys in White.

"They're wrong! They're just a few who would try to destroy the world!" G argued. The Lord looked between the two before sighing.

"Where is the proof?"

"The what?" G asked, taken off guard.

"The proof as to what both groups are say," The lord explained.

"Oh, uh…" the Guys in White looked amongst each other, unsure as to what to say.

Sam, on the other hand, frowned.

"We hacked their computers. Tucker, Danny, and I. You're in Danny's body now-" her hands clenched into fists. "Can't you see his memories?"

"Hmph. Clever girl." The Lord closed his eyes for a few moments before scowling. A ring appeared around his waste, changing him into Danny's ghost form, and he blasted the Guys in White away.

"You shall never use my technology!" he roared, surprising everyone. He then unleashed a few more attacks, until each and every one of the Guys in White were unconscious. "The Ghost Zone belongs to me!"

"Lord!" Layton called, gaining the spirit's attention. "Now that you are awake, what do you plan to do?"

"Hm…" a cruel smile curled his lips, and Sam had to suppress the shudder at how it twisted her boyfriend's face. "What else, but return to my rule?" he said, before blasting the ceiling just above the entrance to the chamber. The room shook, dust and debris showering from the sky. A larger rock slid out of place and began to fall directly over Luke, who was still handcuffed. Professor Layton dove towards him, covering his head, and used his momentum to make both roll out of the way of the rock. The other's also covered their heads.

Once the shaking stopped, Eric looked up and around, before sighing.

"He's gone."

"Are you okay, my boy?" Layton asked, helping Luke to sit up while Tucker searched the unconscious Guys in White for the keys to the handcuffs.

"Y-yeah. Fine," he muttered. Tucker found the key and handed it over to Layton, who unlocked the handcuffs. As soon as he was free, Pearl tackled him in a hug.

"Pearl!?" he asked, shocked and surprised at the same time. Pearl's shoulders shook as she kept her face buried in his chest, and Luke's shock melted to remorse as he realized her reaction was his fault. "Pearl… I'm sorry…"

"Don't you EVER do that again!" she sobbed, punching his chest to emphasize his point.

"Ow! Okay! I won't ever do that again!" he quickly said, keeping his arms around her. She looked up at him with a watery scowl before nodding. Luke carefully wiped the tears from her face and kissed her forehead, before looking around.

"We must find a way out of here," the Professor said, cupping his chin as he studied the walls.

"What does all of this mean?" Flora asked. Luke shook his head slightly.

"It is the history of The Lord," he explained.

"You mean the spirit that hijacked our friend's body?" Tucker asked. Luke nodded.

"The very same. What I was trying to explain earlier was how The Venrin Lord retained him 'immortality.' You see, in the Venrin Culture, when a Halfling was born, a spirit band would be placed on their wrist. They were in control of their own actions as human, but the owner of the band controlled them fully and completely while they were in the ghost forms. The Lord would pick the most powerful of the Halflings as his own bond slave, and would place another band, the Human Band, on the other wrist of the Halfling. The Human Band is the true vessel of the Lord's spirit, and he would move from body to body to continue living. Everything on these walls tells the story of each Halfling whose body he took," Luke explained.

"Everything?" the professor asked. Luke bit his lip slightly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, just about. There's this one section I can't figure out." He let go of Pearl and walked over to a section of wall that was different from the others, cupping his chin. Eric came over as well.

"I don't… recognize these ruins," he said, running his fingers over the odd part.

"Perhaps that's because they are not Venrin ruins. At least, in this form they are not," the professor said. Both boys moved so that the professor could study the wall. His eyes narrowed for a moment, before widening. "It is a map! A shuffled map, but a map none the less."

"Another puzzle," Luke said with a grin, earning a smile from the professor, who then turned his attention back to the puzzle.

A few moments later, the group stood in front of a readable map, and Sam gasped.

"What?" Tucker asked. She looked at him.

"What do you mean, 'what?'" she demanded before motioning to the wall. "You don't see it?"

"Um… should I?"

"This leads to a part in the Ghost Zone, Tucker. One that we're somewhat familiar with."

"Walker's lair!?" Tucker gasped, and Sam gave up, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"No. Clockworks Tower…"

…

 **A/N:** Dun, dun DUUUUUUN! What could Clockwork have to do with all of this? Will they be able to save Danny? And when is Luke going to get yelled at!?

Truth be told, I'm not sure if I'm crazy about this chapter or not.

Oh well!


	8. Rest and Recuperation

**A/N:** Okay, I know you all hate me. But you know what? I don't care. I'm having fun! Hehe.

Reply to Guest Reviewer: Thank you! I know I'm mean to Danny, but it's so hard not to be. If the professor and co. hadn't come along, Luke really would have been in a tight spot! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Onto the next chapter!

…

Chapter Eight: Rest and Recuperation

Once the group figured out the puzzle in the chamber, an entrance opened up, letting them out into the woods.

"Let's head back to Fenton Works to regroup," Hershel said, sounding tired.

…

Jack and Maddie didn't take the news that their son was possessed well. Jack was currently in the lab, trying to figure something out to save his son, while Maddie searched the city with their ecto-detectors.

Luke looked at his reflection in the mirror in the upstairs bathroom, having discarded the ripped up white shirt and jacket, as well as his favorite hat. Thankfully, that hadn't really taken any damage, it was just in need of a good cleaning.

He fingered the Magatama that still hung around his neck before deciding to clean his hair first. He started the water and ducked his head under the tap. To his surprise, a different pair of hands began massaging soap into his hair. He tipped his head slightly, opening an eye, and caught sight of Pearl. She smiled at him, continuing to rub the soap in.

Since they reunited, and Pearl punched him in the chest, the two hadn't really got to say anything to each other. Luke sighed.

"Pearl—"

"It's okay," she said softly. "We found your journal, and read the last entry. The Professor… told us about the Bronevs…"

"Hm…" Luke hummed, still feeling bad. Pearl gently pushed his head back under the tap to rinse the soap out, then pulled him out, towel drying his hair for him. Luke looked down at her face, taking note of the slight red still rimming her eyes.

"Pearl, I'm sorry," Luke said. Pearl met his dark eyes with her own.

"Luke… I understand. I'm not happy about it, but I understand." Luke looked down again, and Pearl shook her head, taking a wash cloth and putting soap on it before starting to clean his shoulders. "Just, promise me one thing?"

"Hm?"

"In the future… Never… never do that again. Please. I… couldn't bare for you to disappear again," she said, looking up at Luke. Luke hesitated, before smiling warmly, kissing her forehead gently.

"I won't. I promise," he said. Pearl smiled and nodded.

"Good. Now, turn around so I can get your back," she said. Luke laughed, doing as she said and closing his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her delicate hands against his skin.

"Hey Pearl?" Luke asked, suddenly realizing something.

"Yes?"

"How'd you get here?"

"Mystic Maya bought me the plane ticket once she heard you went missing, and told me to come to Fenton Works for help. Neither of us thought that Danny..." she trailed off.

"Ah."

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence for a while until Pearl finished.

"Luke?"

"Hm?" he asked, turning to look at her.

"What do you see for us? In the future I mean?" she asked. Luke started slightly, staring at her.

"Well…" he started thoughtfully. "I see us being together," he said with a smile, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her forehead again.

"And…?"

"'And…?'" Luke repeated innocently, before giving her a sweet kiss.

…

Flora quietly moved around the kitchen, making a kettle of tea, the earlier events playing over in her head.

She was happy Luke was safe and sound, but it wasn't fair that Danny had to be taken at the same time.

"Hey… you okay?" a voice asked from the entrance of the kitchen. Turning, she found Eric.

Flora had always thought Eric was a little too confident. In school, he flirted with all of the girls, herself included, and always showed off in everything he did – sports, academics, and of course, archeology. The only person who could ever knock him off his pedestal was Luke.

But now… it was different. In fact, since Luke's disappearance, Flora has noticed a softer, more serious side to Eric.

"I… yeah, I'm okay," she said, turning back to the kettle. Eric bit his lip slightly and moved closer so that he was standing next to her.

"Luke is safe, and we'll find and save Danny, don't worry," he said with his normal, confident smile. Flora snapped, slamming the kettle down onto the stove. In retrospect, she was happy is was a metal one, and not one of the Professor's china kettles.

"Will you stop being so confident!? For just once!?" she demanded. Eric lurched back slightly in shock, his eyes wide. He then looked down, and Flora saw a crack in his confidence.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, looking down. "I didn't realize it annoyed you so much."

Flora bit her lip, and sighed. "No. I shouldn't get mad at you for your confidence. It's not far. I just… sometimes, it's a little too much, you know? Especially when…" she trailed off, looking back at the kettle.

"Flora… I'm not really that confident…"

"What?" Flora asked, looking at him. For the first time, she saw the true Eric: a scared, nervous twenty-four year old guy who had the same look Flora recognized in herself.

Shyness.

"I'm… acting so confident is how I get through being scared, or shy," Eric explained, leaning against the counter next to her.

"What do you mean?" Flora asked.

"Well, growing up, I was always a step behind Luke, or in the shadow of my father. I've always been kind of scared that I wouldn't make a name for myself." He laughed slightly, a humorless sound. "Even now, Luke's discovered more about the Venrin in a week, with almost no sources or help, then I have in two months." He shook his head. "As for the shyness? I'm painfully shy. My confidence isn't my real personality…"

"What is?" Flora asked softly, intrigued, the tea forgotten.

"Well…" Eric bit his lip. "I do love archeology, that part's not an act, and I have grown to love boxing, but… I also love animals, especially dogs. And reading… and cooking, heh." Eric rubbed the back of his head, looking away with a slight blush, and Flora couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.

"I like dogs and cooking, too," she said softly. "And, obviously, reading and writing," she added with a laugh. Eric smiled, and Flora looked down.

"What are you most scared off?" he asked, taking her hand. She gasped softly in surprise, looking between their hands and him.

"Um… being alone…" she finally answered. He nodded.

"I'm afraid that I'll never be successful," Eric admitted.

"Oh… Eric, you'll be successful one day. You're still young though," Flora said, smiling up at him. Eric chuckled, looking at her again.

"You… I…" he hesitated. "I read your book, by the way. _The Curious Village_. It was really good. Very captivating."

"Um… thank you," Flora said softly, looking down at her hands.

"Flora… would you… when we get back to London… do you want to go out on a date with me?" Eric suddenly asked. Flora looked up again, her wide eyes growing even wider.

"I…"

"Flora, my dear?" Professor Layton stepped into the kitchen before spotting Eric as well. He looked between their flushed faces, and smiled warmly.

"Y-yes, Professor?" Flora asked, quickly turning to her guardian.

"The tea will have to wait. We are ready to move on," he said. Flora started slightly and looked back at the kettle.

"Ah, right Professor," she said, turning off the stove. She glanced up at Eric once more, who smiled slightly at her, although he looked slightly disappointed, and the two followed Layton out of the kitchen.

"Please, Pearl. I don't want to chance you getting hurt," Luke pleaded as the two came downstairs. He was wearing one of Danny's shirts; a white one with red trimming, and a pair of Danny's jeans with a belt. His head seemed bare without the ever present hat.

"I'm coming, Luke. That's the end of it."

"But—"

"Please, Luke. I don't want to keep arguing with you," Pearl pleaded. Luke sighed, but gave in, wrapping his arms around her.

"Alright…"

…

 **A/N:** The calm before the storm! Poor Luke, he must feel so uncomfortable in those clothes, haha.

The next chapter will probably be the longest of the story, and I have work tomorrow morning, so I'm going to stop uploading tonight.

Look for chapter nine tomorrow!


	9. Clockwork

**A/N:** I'm back! Sorry for how long this took. It took me a while to work up the inspiration to write this, especially between working (which means going to bed early for me), and hanging out with the family. I also cut it in half, or else it would have taken even LONGER.

Review Reply to Guest: (Please leave a nickname! I feel horrible for just calling you "Guest"!) I'm glad the Luke/Pearl fan base is bigger then I originally thought! And believe me, the chaos hasn't started yet. That's what this chapter is. I'm sorry I didn't get it up earlier!

All the italic speech/thought like things are happening within The Lord's/Danny's head.

Alright, I can't think of anything else. Away we go!

…

Chapter Nine: Clockwork

The Lord flew quickly through the hellish green and black landscape, his golden eyes trained on his destination ahead. The Tower looked different then he remembered; like a large, grandfather clock with large gears and cogs accenting it, but he knew, in his heart, that that was _his_ tower. His stronghold.

Already, he could feel the power of the Venrin artifacts that that lay inside.

There was just one little issue…

 _Stop this! Please! Let me go!_

This Halfling was stronger willed then he'd ever faced before. Since taking over his body, the mind of the Halfling has been resisting him. There were times where the Lord felt compelled to do something he himself had no desire of doing.

Just keeping control of this body was a battle. One that the Lord was winning, of course, but still irritating.

 _I will do as I please_ , he told the conscious of the Halfling, before pushing him back deeper into his own mind and rocketing forward.

…

Clockwork knew what was coming.

He was the ghost of time, after all. He saw everything: past, present, future.

He knew when the Venrin would be discovered, and the young man who would go into a self-inflicted exile to discover more and protect his loved one, all for the sake of keeping the Venrin power out of the wrong hands.

He knew that the young hero, Danny Phantom, would fall prey to the Venrin Lord, and that the Guys in White would be largely responsible for this.

He knew that the Venrin Lord would come and fight for his lair back, and that he, Clockwork, would lose this battle.

He knew what would come after his defeat.

All of this knowledge, however, did not stop the ghost from arming himself with a scythe and preparing himself.

The Lord, within the body of Danny Phantom, flew in through one of the windows and looked around, instantly spotting the time master as he shifted from kid form to adult.

"Clockwork. It has been a while," The Lord said in his eerie, doubled voice. Clockwork frowned, his pity for Danny mingled with his hatred for The Lord.

"Yes. I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you again, but that would be a lie."

 _C-Clockwork? What are we doing here?_

 _SILENCE!_ The Lord roared at Danny's conscious, only to be ignored by the Halfling.

How irritating. He would have to deal with him later. For now, he looked at the ghost floating in front of him.

"I have come back for _my_ Tower," he growled. Clockwork's eyes narrowed, and he gripped his scythe tighter.

"I won this Tower from you fair and square. It is mine now," he replied. The Lord tipped his head slightly to the side, and a slow smirk spread across his face.

"Perhaps. But you know I am going to defeat you, do you not? That is why you are so scared."

"I am the Master of Time. You cannot defeat me."

"Oh? Not even… with this?" The Lord held up an odd medallion, a match to the ones hanging on the wall that made it's wearer immune to Clockwork's powers. Before entering the Ghost Zone, the Lord had made sure to scour the Ghost Lab of Fenton Works. This was just one of the many interesting objects he found.

Clockworks face fell, and the Lord wrapped the medallion tightly around his wrist, just under the Spirit Band, in order to make sure Clockwork wouldn't be able to cut it off. He then dove forward, his hands glowing a mixture of Danny's green and Venrin gold. The two clashed, bounced off of each other, and dove towards each other again.

Finally, the Lord tapped into Danny's memories as he fought, searching through his attacks.

 _Hm… that one looks interesting…_

 _No! Not that one!_

Ignoring Danny's protest, the Lord darted backwards, away from his foe, and looked him straight in the eye.

"Fair well, Clockwork," he said, before taking a deep breath and unleashing the Ghostly Wail. The sonic wave hit Clockwork straight on, slamming him into the wall. It then seemed as though his very essence was being stripped away from the sound, as he quickly changed from his child form, to teenage, adult, old man, skeleton, and finally, a pile of ash which was blown away by the Wail.

 _CLOCKWORK!_ Danny screamed, resisting harder against the soul in control of his body.

 _Quiet. You are giving me a headache_. The Lord shoved back at Danny, before freezing for a moment. His eyes flashed from gold, to blue, then back, and the Lord put a hand to his head. _You will not regain control of your body, little Halfling. Even if your soul takes back control, the bands will keep you locked under my will._

 _You're wrong. Even if I don't figure out how to get free, my friends will help me. You picked the wrong 'Halfling' to mess with, spook._

 _Heh. We will see about that._

Back in full control, the Lord sank through the floors of the Tower until he reached the basement. It was clear that no one had entered this basement for quite some time. In the middle was a large chalk circle, surrounded by Venrin ruins. The Lord floated over until he was in the center of the circle, and landed. He then closed his eyes and began to chant in an ancient language.

…

 **A/N:** Okay, this one is no where near as long as it was supposed to be. I cut this chapter into two due to wanting to get _something_ up tonight, and not being sure how long this whole chapter will take me.

Poor Danny. Poor Clockwork. What will happen next!?


	10. The Plan

**A/N:** Here we go!

Review Reply to Gamergirl: Seriously. And Danny's trying!

…

Chapter Ten: The Plan

Sam and Tucker piloted the Specter Speeder through the Ghost Zone, using one of the many maps they made with Danny to navigate to Clockwork's Tower. In the back, Luke and Eric discussed the Venrin.

"So, any idea as to why there was a map to this… Clockwork's Tower?" Eric asked Luke.

"Well, I don't know who Clockwork is, other then a very powerful ghost, but apparently, he attacked the Lord's stronghold and freed the Halflings. In the process, he killed the Lord's body before he could pass on his spirit, hid his body and the Human Band, and took over his stronghold," Luke explained, cupping his chin. Eric looked thoughtful.

"I assume this directly led to the downfall of the Venrin. Without their lord or slaves, their culture fell apart," Eric mused.

"Exactly."

"Luke, my boy, how do we defeat the Lord and rescue Danny?"Layton asked, looking over at the young archeologist. Everyone in the Speeder fell quiet, waiting for the answer. Luke stayed quiet for a few minutes, his eyes closed as he gathered his thoughts.

"One wall in the Burial Chamber spoke of a large artifact called 'The Halfling Stone.' I believe if we destroy it, it'll make it possible to remove the bands. After all, according to the ruins, Clockwork partially destroyed the stone in the first place to free the Halflings the first time," he finally explained.

"Then we must split into two groups. One to distract The Lord, and one to destroy the stone," the professor said.

"Well, we better pick those groups now, 'cause we're here," Sam said, slowing the Speeder to a halt.

…

Layton, Tucker, Pearl, and Flora winded up making up the group that went to destroy The Halfling Stone. They moved as quickly as they could through the labyrinth of corridors that made up the tower, searching for the stone.

"Professor? Do you think this will actually work?" Flora asked, looking over at her guardian.

"I believe it will," he said, adjusting his hat. "I trust Luke's intuition."

"Luke would have loved to hear that," Pearl said with a smile, thinking of all the times Luke had talked about the 'famous Professor Layton's intuition.' The Professor simply smiled at that.

Just them, Pearl's Magatama flashed, at the same time as Tucker's PDF beeped.

"What is that?" Flora asked, her eyes wide as she looked between the two. Tucker frowned at his PDF.

"Ghosts. Lots of them, coming straight at us," he explained. Pearl took a deep breath, focusing her Spiritual magic, while Tucker prepared an Ectogun. Flora bit her lip, not having a weapon, while the Professor looked around.

His eyes fell onto a sword hanging on the wall. Grasping it, he found it surprisingly light and balanced. A tingle ran up his arm, and at closer look, he realized the sword was glowing green, much like Pearl's Magatama.

Just then, a hoard of ghosts surged around the corner and straight towards the group.

…

Luke, Eric, Sam, and Alfendi quickly made their way through the tower to the basement, part of the distraction group. When they reached the basement, Luke threw open the door, and the group froze.

The Lord stood in the middle of the chalk circle, chanting, his voice echoing through the room. Each marking on the floor glowed with a blinding, gold light.

"Is that… what I think it is…?" Eric asked is a small voice.

"A resurrection ritual… he's trying to resurrect his followers, the other Venrin… we have to stop him!" Luke yelled. Sam ran forward, jumping over the glowing marks, and grabbing The Lord's shoulders.

"Danny, you have to snap out of it, please!" she cried, giving him a shake. The Lord barely glanced at the girl and brushed her off.

Alfendi scowled.

"Stupid girl. That's not going to work!" he snapped, darting forward and tackling the Lord. The two went sprawling, and the glowing ruins dimmed. In anger, the lord kicked Alfendi off, sending him rolling. The Lord then jumped to his feet, glaring at the group.

"You will regret this," he growled, his hands glowing a mixture of green and gold. He dove towards the group.

Sam, the only one trained with the ghost hunting technology, sighed. The thought of fighting her boyfriend did not appeal to her, but she knew she had no choice.

"I'm sorry, Danny," she breathed, pulling the quarter staff from her pocket and going toe-to-toe with the possessed halfa.

 _Sam!? No! I… I don't want to do this!_

 _You are not. I am._

 _Stop this!_

 _I do not take orders from you._

"What do we do?" Eric asked Luke. Luke cupped his chin, studying the circle on the ground. Alfendi shook his head at how much Luke reminded him of his father.

"You recognize these ruins, right Eric?" Luke asked.

"Yes?"

"We only need to erase one, but we need to find which one." Luke explained, his dark eyes darting between each ruin.

Alfendi and Eric studied the ruins as well, until finally, Luke's eyes lit up.

"There!" he said, rushing forward and quickly erasing one. All of the ruins blinked out.

"No!" The Lord yelled, turning to where Luke was standing up. "NO!" his yell morphed into the Ghostly Wail, aimed directly at Luke. Eric and Alfendi covered their ears in pain, while Sam's eyes widened.

"No!" she cried.

Luke covered his ears in pain, falling to his knees as the sound hit his ear drums. Just before the waves hit him physically, the Magatama around his neck flashed brightly, surrounding him in blue, spiritual magic.

The Lord, realizing the wail to be largely ineffective, poured on the power. In turn, the spiritual magic around Luke grew brighter, until suddenly, there was a blast, throwing both Luke and the Lord backwards.

 _H-he survived? Good!_ Danny fought harder against the Lord, who was stunned by both the blast and shock.

"Luke! Are you okay?" Eric called as he and Alfendi ran over to help him up.

"Ugh… yeah…" he mumbled, before feeling stone pieces dropping under his shirt. Eyes widening, he quickly reached into his collar and pulled the Magatama out.

Only a small piece of it remained on the chain. It had shattered. Right after it had saved his life.

"Thank you, Pearl," he breathed, gripping the small piece that remained.

The Lord frowned, putting a hand to his head, seeming to struggle with something. Sam noticed.

"Fight him, Danny! Just like you did Freakshow!" she called, moving closer. The Lord's eyes closed tightly for a moment, before flying open.

They were blue.

"Danny…?" Sam asked.

"I… I did it? I beat him?" he asked, seeming confused. Luke walked over to Sam and Danny, studying the halfa.

Their eyes met, and they came to the same realization at the same time.

"Run!" Danny yelled.

"It's a trap!" Luke shouted at the same time.

In the moment he was in control, Danny let down his guard. The Lord took full example of this, and took control of Danny's body once more, pushing Danny's consciousness down deep into his own subconscious, making it impossible for him to fight back anymore.

His eyes opened once more, glowing an even brighter gold then before.

…

 **A/N:** Well, Pearl's gift saved Luke! He's going to need a new Magatama though…

Danny wont be able to fight anymore, now that he's deep within his own subconscious. Poor Danny (and Sam).

This probably could have gone at the end of the last chapter… but splitting it into two made it less intimidating. The outline section for these last two chapters (originally one) took up an entire page, so… Oh well.

Welp, I can't think of anything else to say! Two more chapters to go! I might finish tomorrow. Or Saturday. One of the two.

Either way, until next time!


	11. The End Game

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter!

Review Reply to Gamergirl: Well, Pearl did say "to keep you safe"! And you didn't, no worries. The Lord is going down though! And no worries about the typo correction! It happens, especially at midnight!

Well, here we go!

…

Chapter Eleven: The End Game

Layton, Tucker, Pearl, and Flora finally made it to the center of the tower, out of breath and exhausted.

"The doors! They won't be able to get through!" Tucker panted, throwing his shoulder against one of the doors, slowly pushing it closed.

"But they're ghosts!" Flora exclaimed in confusion.

"Just trust me!" Tucker yelled. Layton dropped his sword and grabbed the other door, helping Tucker to close them, while Pearl held the ghosts back with blasts of her spiritual magic.

The doors closed with a slam, and the group waited for a few minutes, but no ghosts came through.

"We are safe, for now," the professor said, fixing his hat. Everyone nodded in agreement, and looked around the room. It was large and round, mostly empty, except for a large stone covered in gold glowing ruins

"The Halfling Stone?" Flora asked.

"It would seem that way," the professor replied, walking over and studying it with a small frown. Venrin ruins were something he wasn't able to read, and he was suddenly regretting allowing both Luke and Eric to be part of the other group.

"Well, our mission is to destroy it, right?" Tucker asked, checking his ecto-gun.

"Unfortunately," Layton sighed, stepping back. As an archeologist, he hated the thought of destroying an artifact. However, he knew it was the only way to stop the Lord and save Danny.

Tucker nodded, aimed the ecto-gun at the rock, and shot it.

Nothing happened.

"Huh…" Tucker looked at the ecto-gun curiously, wondering what to do now.

"Maybe we should try spiritual magic?" Pearl asked, stepping up to the stone and placing her hand against it before closing her eyes.

Moment's later, the gold glow turned to blue. Cracks arched from the ruins, spider-webbing across the stone surface, and the rock slowly crumbled. The glow vanished, and Pearl opened her eyes.

"Remind me to stay on your good side," Flora said, wide-eyed. Pearl chuckled at that, before looking at the other two.

"Now what?"

"We go find the other group, and hopefully, Danny," the professor said. All four turned to look at the door, where there had been ghosts on the other side moments before.

"Think they're still there?" Flora asked.

"I don't know," Professor Layton said. He moved forward, picking up the sword once more, and carefully opened the door.

The corridor beyond was deserted.

"Let's go."

The group quickly moved through the tower, heading towards the basement where they knew they would find at least Danny.

…

Luke dove towards Alfendi, grabbing him and rolling. Seconds later, a green-gold blast created a small crater where the boy originally stood.

"What the hell is taking them so damn long?" Alfendi growled, letting Luke help him to his feet.

"Your demise is inevitable. It would be so much more simple if you just submitted," the Lord said, advancing on the two boys. Sam, wielding an ecto-pistol, frowned and shot at him.

The Lord stumbled as the shots hit, and he turned on the girl, the green-gold switching to an icy blue.

"WATCH OUT!" Eric yelled, diving at Sam and knocking her to the side. The blast slammed into his legs, freezing them solid, and he hit the ground with a shuddering gasp.

"Eric!" Luke yelled, before frowning at the Lord. He then noticed Sam's quarterstaff, broken in half and abandoned. He ran over, picking up one half, and weighed it in his hand. It was about the same length as a fencer's sword.

Nodding in determination, he ran towards the Lord and lunged forward, thrusting his makeshift sword towards Danny's back.

As soon as he hit middle school, Luke joined the fencing club and took lessons. Like his mentor, he took to it instantly and became good at it.

However, facing a fellow student or fencing opponent was entirely different then facing an ancient lord in a ghostly body. The Lord whirled on Luke, knocking the weapon aside before it could hit him, and slammed a green-gold blast into his chest, throwing him backwards. The small piece of the shattered Magatama that still hung around Luke's neck flashed weakly, but was ineffective.

The door to the room opened just as Luke slammed into the wall and slumped to the floor.

"Luke!" Pearl cried, running over to her boyfriend. Flora spotted Eric, whose legs were frozen solid, and gasped, running over to help him. Professor Layton's eyes narrowed in anger at their opponent, and it was only by taking a deep breath that he managed to keep a clear head.

"The rest of your party has arrived," the Lord said in a bored tone , studying the four new people. Tucker looked over at Sam, his eyes flicking towards the Lord and back. Sam's eyes hardened, and she shook her head slightly, and Tucker got the message. Danny couldn't fight back from the inside any longer.

"Why, yes, we have," Hershel responded, adjusting his hat and looking at the bands. The Lord looked at the bands around his wrists, before looking back at the group, his gold eyes blazing with anger.

"What did you do?" he growled.

"Ooh… my head…" Luke groaned softly, putting a hand to his head. Pearl bit her lip, gently pushing his bangs off his forehead.

"Are you alright?" she asked. Luke nodded, letting her help him to sit up.

"We simply leveled the playing field, so to speak," Layton said with a smile, happy to see that Luke was alright.

"You will regret this," the Lord growled, the glow around his hands growing even brighter.

"I propose a battle of wits, rather then fists," Layton said. The Lord hesitated, the statement intriguing.

"Oh?"

"Yes. A puzzle battle, if you will; you against myself. Each of us will come up with riddle. If we both are able to answer, then the speed in which we do so will determine the winner," he explained.

"And the stakes?"

"If you win, we will leave and allow you to fully regain your rule," Hershel said, crossing his arms. The others gasped at such a chance, but the professor continued before anyone could say anything. "If I win, you will free Danny from both bands and return to dormancy."

"That sounds like fair terms," the Lord said with a nod.

"I give you my word."

"And I give you mine," the Lord said. Professor Layton nodded, looking at Sam.

"Time us, if you will?" he asked.

"Yes, Professor," she said, her heart pounding in her chest. She really hoped the professor knew what he was doing.

"I will allow you to go first," Layton said. The Lord nodded thoughtfully, watching everyone until he decided on his riddle.

" _'I don't have eyes, but once I did see. Once I had thoughts, but now I am empty. What am I?'_ " the Lord chanted. Layton closed his eyes in thought, going over the question in his mind over and over.

 _'I don't have eyes, but once I did see…'_ _does this mean that at one time, it did have eyes, and lost them? That seemed the most reasonable._

 _'Once I had thoughts, but now I am empty_ …' _Physically? Mentally? Both?_

Sudden inspiration struck, and a slow smile spread across Layton's face.

"Would the answer happen to be a skull?" he asked. The Lord flinched back, surprised, and Layton smiled.

"I assume I am correct. Now, it is time for my riddle." Professor Layton hummed thoughtfully, pacing the chamber as he thought of a suitable riddle. Finally, he decided on one and stopped, facing the Lord. " _'What can be swallowed but can also swallow you?'_ " he asked. The Lord frowned in confusion, thinking over the question, over and over.

Try as he might, the answer alluded him. Irritation grew to frustration, which grew to anger, making it harder to come to an answer. Finally, once he knew he took longer then Layton, he scowled.

"This does not change a thing!" he roared, swinging both hands up to shoot at Layton. The professor held his ground, one hand to the brim of his hat, as he waited.

The glow around his hands didn't appear. His hands froze, his eyes wide. The professor smiled, closing his eyes.

"You gave me your word," the professor reminded him.

"I—"

"You lost."

Both bands around Danny's wrists suddenly unlocked and fell to the ground in a clatter. His gold eyes reverted to blue, and his form shifted from ghost to human. A moment later, he collapsed.

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker yelled, diving towards him. Sam pulled Danny's head into her lap, tapping his cheek gently to wake him up. "Danny?" she called.

"Ugh… wha…?" he muttered, putting a hand to his head. "What… happened?"

"The Venrin Lord took control of your body… don't you remember?" she asked.

"I… Clockwork!" he gasped, lurching forward.

"Yes?" a disembodied voice asked, just before a glowing clock face appeared. The minute hand quickly circled the face, and Clockwork appeared.

"I… you… he… I… huh?" Danny spluttered. Clockwork smiled warmly at him, before turning to face Eric. With a wave of his hand, the Ghostly Ice disappeared from Eric's legs. Clockwork then turned back to Danny.

"Did you really think I was gone?" he asked as Flora helped Eric to his feet.

"Y-yes… I saw you turn to ash… I, you… the Ghostly Wail…" Danny put a hand to his head, this thoughts jumbled. Clockwork's smile softened, and he floated over, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"What you saw, Danny, was a clone. Just before the Lord unleashed the Ghostly Wail, I saw what would happen, and I switched myself with the clone. I knew it wouldn't be me to defeat him this time," he explained.

Danny smiled slightly. "Why not?" he asked softly. Clockwork's smile widened even more.

"Because I would have had to kill his current host, just as I did before. If I didn't kill you to save the world from your evil older self, why would I do so now?" he asked. Danny chuckled at that, before letting Sam help him up. The others came over as well, and Alfendi knelt down to study the bands.

"What do we do with these?" he asked.

"I will keep them."

Everyone looked up at Clockwork again as he revealed a Fenton Thermos.

"In that?" Tucker asked.

"Yes. Just as you three did the Reality Gems. This will keep them safe, and I will remove them from the time stream in order to keep history from repeating," Clockwork explained. Alfendi moved away from the bands, and Clockwork carefully lifted them, placing them into the thermos. He closed it, and looked up at the group.

"I will now send you back to Fenton Works," he announced.

"What about the Specter Speeder?" Luke asked.

"I will return that as well," he said, before pressing a button on his staff. The group faded from view for a moment, only to appear in the basement of Fenton Works. Danny looked around and sighed in relief.

"Let's get you upstairs so you can rest," Sam said, helping her tired boyfriend up the steps. Once those two and Tucker disappeared upstairs, Luke sighed softly, looking down.

"Finally coming down from the rush of a great discovery, my boy?" Layton asked, wrapping an arm around him. Luke looked up and chuckled.

"Yeah. Who would have thought, though, you know?" he asked. "It was just like the Azran…"

"Well, the Venrin civilization dates back as far as the Azran does," Eric said.

"Hm… maybe all of the civilizations of that time were that advanced," Luke mused. Flora and Alfendi looked at each other, nodded, and moved forward until they both stood in front of Luke. Hershel sighed softly, knowing what was coming, but knew he couldn't stop it either. Luke, confused, looked between the two.

"The next time you run off like that, Luke Triton, I won't stop at simply cutting out your tongue. I will rip out your spine and beat you with it," Alfendi growled, his amber eyes flashing dangerously. Luke's eyes widened and he paled a little.

"Don't ever do that again. You really scared us – all of us," Flora added, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. Luke sighed, looking down.

"I… I'm sorry. I just… thought I was doing what was best," he said sincerely.

"And you've learned your lesson. That's the important part," Layton said firmly, a note of finality in his voice as he studied his son and charge. Out of everyone, he understood Luke's reasoning the best.

After all, Flora and Alfendi never met Targent.

Luke had.

Silence followed his words for a bit longer, until Alfendi looked up at Layton.

"Father, the riddle you told the Lord, the answer... what was it?" he asked. The professor looked over at his son.

"Alfendi, my boy, I'm surprised you haven't figured out the answer yourself. The answer to that riddle, is Pride."

…

 **A/N:** Another chapter down! One more to conclude the piece, and then I'll start outlining "Professor Layton and the Seer."


	12. A Month Later

**A/N:** The final chapter! I'm really excited for this one, hehe. I know at least one of my readers, Wolfie, is as well.

Enough from me.

ONWARD!

…

Chapter Twelve: A Month Later

The students of Professor Layton's class listened attentively, taking notes, as his two guest speakers discussed the Venrin Civilization. Eric grinned, holding up the tablet as he discussed what it said, before Luke lifted the Spirit Venrin Band.

Clockwork took the one that had been on Danny's wrist, but the Spirit Band, alone and not on the wrist of a Halfa, was harmless. Once he was done here, he planned on donating it to the same museum the rest of the Venrin artifacts were located.

Professor Layton himself leaned forward at the desk he occupied in the back of the lecture hall, watching his former apprentice with a warm smile, proud of the capable young gentleman he grew into.

Just then the clock struck eleven. With a sigh, the professor stood, motioning to the two young men that their time was up.

"I am sorry, class, but that's time," he said, coming down the aisle between the desks. He couldn't help but smile at the collective groan that rose from the students. "I know Mr. Triton has to return to America soon, but you all know Mr. Shiner will be around for much longer. You can always ask him any questions you might have," he said as the class began to pack up.

Once the classroom was empty, he turned to the two young men.

"You will join me for tea later, correct?" he asked them both. Luke grinned.

"Of course, Professor!" he said brightly, putting a hand to the brim of his ever present blue hat.

"Are you sure?" Eric asked. Professor Layton smiled knowingly.

"Of course, Eric," he said.

"Oh. Well, okay then. Sure," he replied.

…

Danny flew invisibly through the afternoon air, enjoying the freedom. He had just finished yet another lesson with the new recruits of the APPD, and was due to meet Sam at the movies.

He glanced down at the street, and smirked when noticing a very familiar black motorcycle waiting at a red light. Diving down, he landed lightly behind the driver, wrapped his arms around her waist, and turned visible.

"Boo," he said softly closer to her ear. Sam jumped from the combination of sudden coldness and the boo before looking over her shoulder at her boyfriend, who was in the process of turning visible.

"Jerk! I'm really going to get you one of these days for doing that!" she said, reaching back and pinching his thigh, just above the knee.

"Ow, ow! Okay, okay!" he gave in. She relented and let go as the light turned green, prompting her to hit the throttle. Danny shook his head, tightening his arms around her and falling quiet, as talking on a motorcycle without the Fenton Ear Phones was incredibly hard.

Sam whipped into a parking spot and turned the bike off, waiting first for Danny to get off before she did as well.

"Ready for _Zombie Teacher 3: The Instructor's Revenge_?" Sam asked, looping her arm through Danny's. The ghost boy grinned, pulling his money out.

"Am I ever," he replied.

…

"You're still having nightmares."

Danny looked up from his food at his girlfriend. After the movie, they went and got take-out at their favorite Chinese restaurant (how Sam finds Recyclo-Vegitarian food _everywhere_ was way beyond him), and took it back to their apartment. Sam just now broke the comfortable silence wither her statement.

Slurping in the rest of his Lo-Mein, he looked at her curiously.

"Come again?"

"It's been a month, and you're still having nightmares," she said. "About… you know."

"About my body being hijacked by an ancient entity with a god complex?" Danny supplied before shrugging. "Sam, it's going to be a bit. Before he shoved me into my subconscious… I saw everything he was doing. I mean… I know Clockwork is okay, but… That clone was convincing. And how the Ghostly Wail just ripped through his being…" Danny shivered. "Not to mention how he then turned that same power on Luke. If it hadn't been for that Magatama…"

"I know," Sam said softly, reaching over and putting a hand over his. "I just want you to be okay."

"And I am. I will be. I guess I just… it kind of reminds me of what my evil older self did, you know? Except that… it wasn't an alternate timeline version of me… it was actually _me_ ," he explained.

"But you weren't in control of your body," Sam argued.

"Which is why I don't blame myself," Danny said soothingly, offering her a smile. "But it was still _my_ body. My powers." He shook his head. "But don't worry. The nightmares are getting less intense, and I can actually sleep through them now," he said with a smile.

"Well… alright…"

The two fell quiet once more, Sam thinking about what had happened with the Venrin and Danny's nightmares, Danny's thoughts elsewhere.

"Oh yeah!" Sam suddenly said, perking up.

"Hm?" Danny asked.

"I saw this today. Thought you might get a kick out of it," she said, pulling a newspaper from her bag. Danny took it and looked after the front page.

 _In light of Mr. Luke Triton's and Mr. Eric Shiner's published report on the Venrin Civilization and the events leading up to the discovery of the Amity Park Burial Chamber, the government organization known as the Guys in White has been investigated for false reports to the United States Government, dissolved, and charged on numerous accounts, including assault on the scholars part of the archeology dig, the Fentons, Samantha Manson, former mayor Tucker Foley, and the international hero, Danny Phantom himself._

"Good!" Danny exclaimed with a grin. Sam grinned back at him, happy as well. "That takes a load of worry off of my shoulders," he admitted, and Sam couldn't help but laugh. She then looked at Danny curiously.

"Before I showed that to you, you seemed pretty deep in thought," she said, leaning forward. Danny smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh?"

"What's on your mind?" she asked, taking his hands again. Danny thought for a moment before nodding to himself.

"I've been thinking. About college, actually," he said. Sam sat back slightly, though didn't go of his hands.

"College?"

"Yeah."

"You still want to be a astronaut?"

"Well, no. Knowing my luck, something would happen to the ship, and I'd land on the same asteroid as Vlad," Danny said, causing them both to laugh. "But… I have been thinking. If my dad can invent ghost hunting tech, I'm sure I can too. I just… need the training. And the Paranormal Science major is actually taken serious now, you know?" he explained. Sam smiled, adopting a thoughtful look.

"Advanced Education isn't a bad idea," she admitted.

"What would you major in?" Danny asked.

"Oh, I'd dual major. Environmental Science _and_ Paranormal Science," she said. Danny grinned at her.

"Guess we'd better start looking at colleges then."

"I guess so!"

…

Flora bustled around the small kitchen of the Professor's flat, washing the dishes and putting them away. Luke and Pearl decided to go for a walk after the tea, while the Professor was in his home study, showing Alfendi a new puzzle he'd found.

Eric, left alone in the dinning room, made his way to the kitchen, watching Flora as she cleaned.

"Those sandwiches were very tasty, Flora," he finally said. The woman jumped and looked over, spotting him in the doorway.

"Ah, Eric! Oh, um, thank you. Ever since… Alfendi told me my cooking could poison a nightshade plant, I've been actually learning recipes," she admitted with a blush.

"Alfendi told you that? Weren't you living with the professor and all way before Alfendi came into the picture?" he asked, tipping his head to the side. Flora huffed, pouting at the sink.

"The Professor and Luke were too nice." She then sighed, relenting. "But then, I guess a true gentleman never tells a lady that her cooking stinks," she said. Eric snorted softly at her wording before coming further in. Flora noticed and pushed a wayward curl behind her ear, trying to contain her blush. Ever since their conversation at Fenton Works, and things calmed down, she hadn't been able to get Eric off her mind. Silence filled the kitchen until Eric couldn't handle it anymore.

"So, I bought your newest book," he admitted.

"Did you? But it was just released yesterday!" she said with a laugh. Eric blushed with a shrug before taking the plate she had just finished washing, drying it himself and putting it away.

"Yes, well… it just sounded so interesting!" he said with a grin. "I mean, _The Diabolical Box_? I can't wait to see what it's about."

"You know… that and _The Curious Village_ actually happened," she admitted softly. "Or, at least, they're very closely based off of true events."

"Really? Then I guess Rose is actually… you?"

"Wh-what would give you that idea?" Flora demanded with a blush.

"Just a hunch," he replied with a wink. She huffed, rolling her eyes, and turned to put something away. At the same time, he reached for it, and the two ran into each other, Flora falling into Eric's chest.

"Whoa there, are you okay?" he asked. Flora looked up at Eric, only to notice how close their faces were to each others'.

"Um… y-yes…" she muttered. Eric also blushed at their close proximity, and the two stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before Eric realized something.

"You… never actually answered my question from a month ago…" he muttered.

"I… I didn't? What question?" she asked, her cheeks growing even warmer.

"Flora… will you go out with me? On a date?" he asked. Flora bit her lip for a moment, partially wondering what the professor and Alfendi would think, before realizing she didn't particularly care.

"I… yes, Eric. I would love that, actually."

…

"London is so wonderful, but I don't think I could ever leave LA," Pearl sighed as she and Luke walked along the Tower Bridge. Night had fallen, so it was lit up, reflecting off the water beautifully. Luke smiled.

"I understand. I love London, and I miss it, but there are definitely a few things keeping me in LA," he said. Pearl looked up at her boyfriend of three years and smiled.

"Oh? Like what?"

"My family. The school I plan on attending to gain my Master's Degree in Archeology. Friends…" he trailed off, looking thoughtful, and Pearl emitted a huff. "Oh yeah!" he suddenly said, grinning at her. "And my 'very special someone.'" He nuzzled her neck as he spoke, getting a few giggles from her.

"I was young and naïve! I will never live that down, will I!?" Pearl protested.

"If me and Mrs. Maya have something to say about it… nope!" Luke said with a grin. Pearl sighed, and Luke laughed, wrapping his arms tight around her in a loving way. He then got an idea and let her go, keeping a grip on her hand.

"Come on, let's go to the London Eye. I've always wanted to show this to you!" he said, leading the way.

"The… London Eye?" she asked, letting herself be led.

The London Eye was like the biggest Farris Wheel Pearl had ever seen. It was lit up in beautiful blues, and sat right near the river.

"This is the London Eye," Luke explained. "It was erected in 1999 and was the world's tallest Farris wheel until 2006."

"Are we getting on that?" Pearl asked in awe. Luke's huge grin was the answer as he gently pulled her along. As the passenger capsule slowly moved by, passengers hopped off and on. Luke made sure Pearl was in before stepping on after her, and the two took a seat.

"How long does it take until we're near the ground again?" Pearl asked. Luke glanced at his watch.

"Hm… about thirty minutes," he admitted, glancing around at the other passengers in the capsule.

"Oh. Well, let's move closer to the window!" Pearl said with a grin, pulling the young man along. Luke laughed, having a ball as he pointed out different roads and boroughs to Pearl.

Once the capsule reached the top of the wheel, Luke took a deep breath and reached into his pocket, thankful to find it still there.

"Pearl?" he said, taking her left hand. She turned her gray eyes towards him, her face lit up with excitement.

"Yes?"

"I… I have a question. Well, you and me… we've been together for about three years now…" he started, trying to stifle his nervousness.

"Yes. And I've loved every moment of it," Pearl said with a warm smile. Luke smiled back, her warmth melting away his nervousness.

"And you know I would never leave you. That is why… I'd like to take our relationship to the next level." Luke took a deep breath, dropped to one knee, and produced a ring box from his pocket. "Pearl Fey… would you marry me?"

Pearl's eyes widened and she blushed, her free hand jumping up to cover her mouth. She blushed even more when noticing each of the passengers' eyes were trained on the two of them.

Luke held his breath, waiting for his answer.

"Luke, I… yes. Yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

…

 **A/N:** The end! Okay, so "Professor Layton and the Seer" won't be up until probably Sunday. I need to outline, and I kind of want to go play some Professor Layton right now, so…

That story goes back about nine to ten years, so we won't see any LukexPearl being married. In fact, it happens right after Luke moves to LA, so…

I will post up one more "chapter" to reply to guest reviews, by the way!

"My dear readers, this is 'so long,' not 'good-bye.'"


	13. Review Reply to Gamergirl

Review Reply to Gamergirl

I'm glad you enjoyed the ending, especially the part with Luke and Pearl! Maya's going to flip, and Phoenix is totally going to give Luke a talking to, haha.

I'm glad you're enjoying my stories! If you look on my profile, you can find a list of them in chronological order (not sure what order you read them in)

"Seer" will be coming out on Sunday! I have plenty of ideas for that one too, so no worries!

If you would like to respond, but don't have a fanfiction account, you can also always email me - me . jones 92 outlook . com

Just... without the spaces, and the at symbol before outlook. Fanfiction won't let me put it up...


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